Stronger
by Ink Child
Summary: I dont own Naruto and Co.HinaSasu: Hinata has to get stronger, she has one year. Who else will be good enough to teach her, but the legendary Avenger.THE END.
1. Teaser: Stronger

**This is a Hinata/Sasuke fic teaser**

**It's just the set up for the real story, so don't assume you'll get a lot of juicy Sasuke/Hinata moments in this one, there's a moment or two, but the real stuff comes in the next chapter or so. **

**I will update, if I get reviews often, and if I dont get blocked, obviously. This one took me about three days to write, so assuming I don't block or nothing comes up I will update once a week or so. Sometimes two, if I'm on a roll. **

**That's if you review:p**

**Summary: HinataXSasuke One year to become strong enough is all she gets. One year. Who else could possibly teach her that getting strong takes more than just practice...who else, but the Avenger.**

* * *

Every morning, I feel vaguely inadequate upon waking… Reluctant to get up, though my body has its own will and with it forces my mind from it's not so pleasant slumber.

Every morning, it feels a little like I haven't got a clue as to what is going on around me and what it is that I'm supposed to do. This makes absolute sense when you add in the factor that I'm just a girl, in an ordinary place and I just turned seventeen.

Yeah… Absolute sense.

* * *

_The bedroom was dark, as was usual. The blinds pulled tightly to block out the light and the reflection of it on the snow, though bluish fingers of it were still squirming in through the cracks in the curtains. _

_Right under the window was her bed, where she lay with her eyes closed and her breathing coming in slowly in the pattern of those who were asleep though her mind was racing and her heart, though it had slowed down some from before was still beating rapidly. _

_Dreams… dreams had a tendency of waking her up, rather than keeping her asleep, and what she could only do was continue on sleeping, forcing her body to continue sleeping so that the dream would continue also. Most of the time it worked. _

_Frustrated the girl stood, for this time it had not worked. _

_Throwing one of her pillows over her shoulder she stretched, frowning. The dream had been an odd one again… one she couldn't figure out. About 'Them': her friends. And about 'him': something she didn't talk about. _

_Day to day routine was her specialty, she was like a clock when it came to the mornings. Up at six, or eight, one of the two, not in between, and then directly to training. _

_Without even bothering to take off her pj's which were black and decorated with silk the way a Japanese princess would have, she fell into a battle stance, right there in the middle of her room. _

_It was weird yes, but it was her way, and the only way she had ever been or seen. With utmost concentration all the way through the hour of training she punched, kicked and blocked at imaginary foes, all in slow motion, watching her movements with careful eyes. _

_Too much speed and things began to get sloppy. _

_That was always the case... too much speed and things began to hurt. _

* * *

_"Hinata-chan!" _

_The cry rose over the sound of laughing children playing in the play ground, tossing around a bright red ball and scaring away the crows that liked to nest in the nearby tress, eyeing the abandoned lunches of the youngsters with interested beady eyes. _

_Slowly the pale girl turned to look over her shoulder, bland light eyes focusing on Sakura running towards her, pink hair once more long and waving in the wind. _

_She was the description of a beauty, and she knew that the majority of the boys in the village were interested in her at least to an extent. It was strange the way things worked romantically around Konohona. Everyone had their first pick, and then they had their second best, which was more often than not the person they would end up with. _

_The horrid thing about that... was the she didn't have a second best. _

_"Hello, Sakura-chan." she mumbled, smiling softly as the beauty queen sat down with a thump beside her on the bench. "Hiyo!" Sakura smiled, rosy cheeked and breathless from running. "Sorry I'm late, mother needed help in the kitchen, and then she forgot that she didn't have sugar and then I had to run out to get some and you know." she shrugged, giving another sigh to finalize her struggling breath and giving another grin along with it. _

_"In short, I came as soon as I could."_

_"Oh, that's fine." Hinata nodded, her black hair falling across her eyes in what she thought must be a very awkward manner. Her hair never moved the way Sakura's did. It always got in the way and were it not because Naruto had said he liked long hair she would have cut it again, years ago back to the short length she once wore._

_"All right, so what do you want to do for lunch then?" Sakura enquired, leaning back against the bench and staring up at the bright blue sky with glittering green eyes. "...we could go for ramen, you know."_

_The note of teasing in her voice was almost inaudible, but it was there. Hinata coloured rapidly to a red shade. _

_"Ano... no, no we don't have to do that... I never- I don't actually... do you want to?" Hinata stuttered, shifting uncomfortably on the bench. _

_"Sure I do." Sakura continued, as if Hinata hadn't just turned into a tomato and began to fidget like she had ants in her pants. "Let's go" She smiled, grabbing the brunette's wrist and pulling her to her feet. "It's late as it is, but that doesn't matter. I'm sure he'll still be there stuffing his face as usual."_

_"Ah ah!" Hinata cried out softly, dragged along by the powerful pink haired kunoichi (sp?) To save face she decided to play dumb. "W-who are you talking about, Sakura chan? A-are you meeting s-someone else?"_

_"Heh!" Sakura scoffed, glancing over her shoulder at her. 'We, we are meeting someone else." She flashed her a smile again. "But you already knew that."_

_Hinata decided to turn yet another shade of undiscovered red. _

* * *

_There wasn't a lot of reasons for him to be going out... _

_Not one at all... _

_Actually, the one that he had decided to allow to drag him out, wasn't a good reason- actually it wasn't even a bad reason, it wasn't a reason at all. And for half a moment he worried that perhaps he had allowed himself to go out 'without' a reason. For once he would be able to say that he had gone out for "no reason"_

_He shuddered, staring at the cup of sake in front of him with a mildly irritated expression before glancing over at Naruto, who was , as usual, stuffing his face full of ramen. _

_"I don't understand why you dragged me here." He grumbled, pushing the sake away and beginning to get up. He wasn't even allowed sake yet- he was turning nineteen in two months but that did not matter, he had been drinking since he had turned fifteen and one of those girls that hung around him passed him something she called punch that did 'not' taste like punch. _

_That night he was sure if he hadn't been a trained ninja he wouldn't have left with his virginity intact. _

_"What're you talking about?" Naruto retorted thickly through a mouth full of ramen. "You never go out, I don't even know what the hell you eat, Sasuke."_

_"I don't." The Uchiha replied primly, moving to slide off his stool and head out the door. "I'm leaving." he stated._

_"Aww, come on!" Naruto began, peeling himself away from his ramen bowl long enough to start arguing with him. Sasuke was still considering clobbing him over the head with something when Sakura's cheerful voice came flooding from the doorway. _

_"You're way too naive, Hinata-chan, honestly. Of course Kiba was teasing you!"_

_"A-ano... really? I didn't think-"_

_"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out suddenly, cutting off the stuttering brunette standing beside her. Sighing the Uchiha turned around, arms crossed looking just as always like a brick of cold ice. _

_"...you're out.' Sakura began, still looking throughly confused, as if she had never seen him outside. It suddenly occured to him that in her fangirl mind she was probably trying to understand why and was coming up with very wrong possibilities. _

_"I was just leaving." He mumbled, moving to push by her and finding to his surprise a small surprised looking girl right where he had moved to push through. _

_Bland Hyuuga eyes stared back at him, wide and surprised, but not because it was him, it was the closeness, he knew it the moment he saw the expression there. Most of it was surprise, a small part almost invisible was screaming 'get back!'_

_He stumbled back, startled and ended up sitting right back down on the stool, looking pissed. Naruto began his goofy laughing._

_"What the heck was that, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto laughed, sitting back and amazingly ignoring his ramen. "Hinata-chan gave you a fright did she?"_

_Said girl was stuttering out an apology, having turned a bright shade of red. "G-gomen, I didn't see."_

_"Hn." Sasuke grunted, slipping off the stool and heading out the door, choosing for once to ignore the laughing teasing of the baka Naruto. _

_"Where are you going Sasuke!" Sakura cried, watching him storm out the door. Silently he slipped out of the shop and into the street, leaving the three standing there looking utterly puzzled. _

_Sighing Sakura turned to look at Naruto, irritated. "You BAKA!" she cried, giving him a thump on the head that would result in a bump later. "You made him leave!"_

_"OW! Sakura! Damnit, I didn't make him leave at all, he was leaving already- and I got him out here in the first place, geez!"_

_"Ah, Naruto-kun are you okay?" Hinata started, watching him rub his head irritably. Sakura sat there fuming in silence, letting Hinata deal with the matter on her own. _

_"Fine, fine." he sighed, giving her a weak grin. "Sakura's made my head hard enough to withstand a boulder falling."_

_"Hmph!" Sakura grunted. Hinata eyed the pink haired kunoichi doubtfully for a moment and then slipped onto a stool, blinking at the untouched cup of sake that was there. _

_She didn't drink, not really... She had wine at family dinners, and champagne at important events, but nothing else really. _

_Curiously she lowered her chin onto her forearms laying on the counter, smelling the strong liquor thoughtfully. "Do you drink, Naruto-kun?" she stuttered, surprised by her own question. _

_The blonde turned to look at her, confused and mouth full of ramen already. "Hm? Ne? No, I don't. That's Sasuke-teme's."_

_"Stop calling him that!" Sakura snapped, twitching irritably. _

_Hinata slipped off the stool, deciding it would be too much to ask for Sakura to be around Naruto at that time. "S-sakura-chan, do you want to go ...um... to... uh- shop?" she stuttered, looking ferverishly for something to do that would take the pink haired girl out of the shop before she killed Naruto. _

_"Shop?" Naruto and Sakura chorused, blinking at her. Never in their life had either of them heard Hinata Hyuuga of all people ask to go shopping. _

_The girl stared back at them, and then realized the strangeness of what she had said. "Oh!" she began, blushing furiously. "I- ano. I mean... if you want to-"_

_"SURE!" Sakura cried, misunderstanding the concept imidietly. "Let's go! There are a thousand things I've seen that I've thought you'd look GREAT in!" _

_Hinata started, trying to stutter out something of an excuse. "Nani?' she whimpered, confused. _

_In a flash they were out the door, Hinata still stutteriing about a misunderstanding. _

_Naruto blinked mildly after them, cocking his head to the side and looking confused. "That was weird..."_

_"We should find Ino!" Sakura cried, her mood completely changed by the idea of going shopping. "She would have a complete riot with this! You of all people, asking to go shopping!"_

_"Well, I kinda-" Hinata began, skipping over a small child that was on the road. Sakura continued to drag her forcefully, getting odd stares from a few of the people around but ignoring it completely. _

_"Let's go get Ino, then we'll head to the shops and we'll just buy until I find you something else to wear for training cuz that sweater is beginning to get on my nerves, Hinata, you've been wearing that since we started at the Academy for crying out loud."_

_"My s-sweater?" Hinata began, sounding puzzled, she looked down at her old parka looking sweater and frowned. "But... you don't like it?"_

_"Come on."Sakura cut in, not bothering to answer. Oh things would be hellish indeed. _

* * *

_"It's beautiful!" Ino squealed, loudly too making a few people at the lunch tables in front of the coffee shop stare at her in an odd manner. Hinata shrunk into herself slightly, feeling awkward. The clothes she was wearing weren't something she would have picked, but at least they were the right color. The light creamy coloured outfit looked simular to a mix of both Sakura's and Ino's with a merciful high neck for her to hide behind and a long skirt like tunic. Underneath she was wearing black knee length shorts and bandages that wrapped down her thigh. _

_For Hinata the change was huge, she would have never worn something like that before. _

_"You look great!" Ino continued to shout. Thankfully the coffee shop wasn't completely full, and only a few people could turn to stare at them every time she shouted like that. _

_"Ano.." she whimpered, nodding rapidly and blushing so hard she thought perhaps she'd pass out from overheating. "Arigato-"_

_"No no no, we have to take you out somewhere now! My god, Hinata, getting you out of that sweater totally changed you!" Ino continued to cry, looking brilliantly happy. _

_"We should have a girl's night out- go dancing, to a club or something!"_

_"D-demo, this is training gear..." Hinata continued to stutter, looking wide eyed. Sakura smirked and poked Ino on the head. "Yeah, Ino, you blonde."_

_"Shuddup, Pinky, you've obviously not noticed your own stupidity."_

_"I- I actually should go home... my father-"_

_"Oh yeah." Sakura suddenly cut in, remembering an earlier conversation she had had with Hinata about her father expecting her that evening. _

_"The dinner." she finished. _

_Hinata nodded numbly, trying to figure out where she would be able to change before she got home, she wasn't sure what her father would say if she got to the house wearing clothing that didn't match her. What if he thought she was trying hard to impress him or something? That always seemed to irritate him before. _

_"Ano... Arigato, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan. Demo, I have to head back as soon as possible." She bit her lip, hoping they wouldn't be angry. _

_Ino and Sakura blinked at her for a moment and then smiled broadly. "It's no problem. We'll go training in the morning. Maybe that baka Naruto will be around to be wowed by your new look!" Ino cried. _

_Hinata's face burned. "Ano... it doesn't matter..."_

_She stood rapidly, trying not to trip over herself as she moved towards the door, hoping she could get the heck out of that coffee shop before the two girls made louder more humiliating accusations. _

_"Bye, Hinata-chan!" Sakura called, waving. Ino waved too, and then turned to flirt with the waiter that came back. _

_Smiling vaguely Hinata turned and slipped out of the patio covered in tables and into the street, fiddling with the many bags she carried. The outfit she was wearing was hardly the first or last pair of clothing that Sakura had forced her to buy. The bags were full of things but she doubted she would be wearing any of them later. Her sweater would come back soon. She missed it's comfortable long sleeves already... _

_Biting her lip and looking at the ground she continued to walk, ignoring for the time being the bright sunset in front of her. It truly was a beautiful day, with children laughing and birds chirping, even in the middle of the sunset, but she couldn't really appreciate it, not with the situation..._

_Her hands shook as they rose up to her lips, running nervously over the soft flesh. Father had been acting strangely of late, asking about her progress at the Academy, as a ninja, enquiring as to the sucess of her missions and the rating. _

_She was scared that something was coming, something she didn't want to face..._

_"...Hinata-hime." A voice stated again making her start in surprise just before she walked into Neji, stepping back in surprise, rubbing her nose where she had crashed into his chest. _

_"Ah! Gomen, Neji-kun! I-I didn't see you.." she stuttered, and then blinked at him in vague confusion. His expression was completely puzzled and slightly red. _

_"Hinata... what are you wearing?" He began making her gasp and look down at herself and the outfit that obviously didn't match her at all. _My God, he must think I'm some idiot- I have to change out of this 'right' now!

_"Oh- I- I... Sakura-chan and Ino-chan they- Ano, I just..." she stuttered, blinking down at her shoes- new ones that she was for sure going to throw away later if only he would stop staring at her like she was some sort of-_

_"It looks good."_

_Her head whipped up to stare at him, mouth open slightly in surprise. "...P-pardon?" she whimpered, lifting her free hand up to her lips. _

_Neji shrugged, looking as impassive as usual. "It looks good." He stated again, reaching a hand out. Hinata blinked at it a moment, confused as to what he wanted, for half a second she was wondering if he was asking for her hand._

_"Here, I'll carry your bags for you." He stated patiently, noting her confusion. "Oh!" the young heiress started. "Arigato." she passed them over without a complaint, knowing he would take them from her forcefully if she didn't just give them to him. _

_Quietly they turned and started to head the way she had initially started, which made her turn to look at her cousin quickly. "Neji-kun... what are you doing here?"_

_Her cousin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Hm? Your father, he has asked for your pressence at the estate. I was sent to look for you."_

_Hinata's eyes widened slightly."F-father? Demo, he said it was for dinner that he wanted me..."_

_"Hai." Neji shrugged. "He wants you sooner, I suppose."_

_"H-have you been looking for long?" Hinata mumbled, worriedly hoping she hadn't made him waste his time for long. _

_"Not too long." was his descriptive reply. Hinata fidgeted impatiently, glancing at him for a second answer. Sighing the genius shrugged. "I never expected to have to search in the boutiques downtown, it took longer to find you than I thought it would."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry, I-I'll make sure to be a-around next time and I-"_

_"It's all right, Hinata-hime." Neji replied, gracing her with one of his rare smiles. "You should worry about your father's mood and what he wants with you."_

_Hinata turned away, pressing her index fingers together thoughtfully, biting her lip. "D-do you know what it is?"_

_"No, I don't." was his smooth reply before he opened the estate gate for her, waiting patiently for her to step in. _

_Hinata didn't move, but stared at the doorway as if it might devour her. Taking a deep breath she walked in quietly, shoulders drooping just a bit. _

_"All will be fine." Neji assured her quietly as they stepped into the house and removed their shoes. He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze and motioned to the bags. "I will put them in your room."_

_"Oh- no I can do that I need to-"_

_"Your father is waiting." He cut in, moving towards the stairs and starting up without a second word. _

_Hinata stood there numbly, wishing she could follow him and insist to take the bags up herself so she could change. Shifting awkwardly in her new clothes she looked down the long hall, brightly lit from all the windows and smelling sweetly of the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard. _

_But at the end of the hall there was the door that led to her father's study, dark and gloomy and looking steadily more like a mouth with fangs. _

_Swallowing nervously she stepped forward and started towards the door. **Please please please... let it be something simple... nothing to worry about... nothing to worry about...**_

_Rubbing her sweating palms on her sides she lifted her hand up to the door and knocked, waiting outside for an answer in the shadow and shivering with the feeling in her chest. _

_This... would not be good. _

* * *

"What is your current level, Hinata?"

"M-my current l-level...?"

_I'm weak dont you know! You do know! Why do you torture me this way!?_

"Your progess has been slow the last few years. On the other hand, your sister is becoming more and more powerful with each day."

"...y-yes... I have noticed Hanabi's steady p-progress..."

_No... no please... don't do this to me again... don't compare me to her..._

"As the Hyuuga Heiress, you are to be strong, you are to be wise, you are to be a leader, the head of our powerful family."

"H-hai."

_I want to! I want to! I don't know what's holding me back! Don't you care? Don't you wonder what it is?!_

"You are seventeen years of age. At age eighteen you have no choice but to accept the title of heiress... or hand it down to your sister."

"H-hand it... down?"

"Would you not preffer that?"

"...Preffer?"

_NO!! NO! Don't take this away from me! It's the one thing... the one thing... I have been working so hard... don't please... how do I tell you how do I..._

"Hinata? Do you not preffer it?"

"...I..."

_...can I... all this responsibility, thrown to the wind. Hanabi would be a good leader... I would be out of everyone's way..._

_Naruto-kun..._

"No..."

"What?"

"N-no... I... I am the first born... I-I want..."

"You are not strong enough."

"...I... know..."

"Would you not preffer to have it all given away, handed down to the one who can actually do what an heiress is supposed to do?"

"I-I can be stronger... I can...I can try..."

"You have been trying for seventeen years-"

"P-please... father... I... I can try."

"You have one more year. One more. Your choice must be made then."

"M-my choice?"

"Or I will make it for you."

"H-hai."

"Why do you do this?"

_I don't know! I don't know... please... let me try! Just one last time!_

"...it... I... I'm meant to... I am the first born-"

"You are not strong enough!"

"...gomen...I will...I will get stronger..."

"One year."

_One year..._

* * *

_The door closed quietly, her hands here shaking with the effort of not slamming it closed and running out the door. She just needed to get out, needed to run, needed to hide in a corner and cry. _

_Neji stood against the wall, arms crossed, looking at her worriedly. "Hinata-hime? Are you okay?" _

_Hinata nodded, facing the door still, tears making her eyes water, but not spilling yet. Not trusting her voice she blinked back the tears and turned to look at him, smiling weakly. _

_The knot in her throat was going to choke her soon. Forcefully she swallowed it. _

_"I-" she began, sounding hoarse. Biting her lip she cleared her throat, hands clenched at her sides. "I'm all right..." She managed another weak smile, glad she had managed not to stutter. _

_Neji pushed away from the wall, frowning slightly at her. "...yes?" _

_She nodded, smiling still, feeling like her face might break from the strain. "I'm just going to go for a walk."_

_"...what did he want?" _

_"He wanted to know about my next mission-" The lie was out so fast that there was no room to stutter. She stared at him for a moment, the surprise on her face obviously telling the truth. Neji's frown deepened. _

_"You needn't tell me if you don't want to, Hinata-hime."_

_"I... am okay... I-I'll be back soon." Hinata whimpered, slipping her shoes on with shaking hands. _

_Neji watched silently as she stumbled out the door. It was dark outside already... Restraining the urge to go after her, he turned around and headed up the stairs stopping abruptly at the sight of Hanabi leaning against the hallway wall at the top of the stairs. _

_"Hanabi?" He murmured, unsettled by her dark expression. _

_"Neji-kun." she replied, giving a short bow of her head before turning around and slipping into her room without another word. _

_The princesses of the family were hardly chatter boxes._

* * *

_She had began to jog soon after passing the gate, the cold air of incoming night a soothing touch on her skin. _

_Right after passing off her street she had begun to run, a slow steady run, but her lungs were burning within the first ten minutes. _

_Across town, that's all she knew. She had to go across town, as fast as possible... run, run. _

_She was sprinting soon after, the clothing she was wearing giving a surprising amount of flexibility. _

_The burning felt good, surprisingly enough. And she hadn't run like that in so long, it just felt so good. The speed was steady, and she didn't feel like slowling down. It didn't matter that her side was cramping and her hair was falling out of it's braid. _

_It was long enough now that she could braid it down her back, the short cut she used to have used to return as a shadow of itself when she pulled back her hair in a braid._

_With a snap the elastic finally fell off, making her ebony dark hair fall around her shoulders, streaming behind her as she ran. _

_Thoughts were flowing through her head a thousand miles a minute. Hanabi as an heiress... as leader of the Hyuuga clan, the most powerful clan... _

_"...no..." she gasped softly, looking up towards the stars. _

_It was unfair... so unfair that she would be born first. At least to retain some honor she should try to be strong enough by next year... just in case she could do it... just in case she could change... _

_If not she would get out of the way, become one of those useless young daughters that are good for nothign other than getting them married-_

_Tears began to stream down her face. It wasn't fair, Hanabi did not have that fate set for her, even if she didn't get to be heiress. She would be a kuinochi, a powerful member of the Hyuuga Clan, the rightful owner of the title of Head..._

_Breathless she stopped, realizing suddenly where she was. _

_The night sky was high above among the canopy of trees that shadowed the training arena. Empty in the deep night. It made sense...what would anyone in their right mind be doing there in the middle of the night. _

_Though, deep inside she had somehow been hoping that maybe Naruto would... _

_Tears started up again, pouring down her face messily, making her hair stick to her skin. Rubbing it away roughly she walked towards one of the training posts, hands clenching and unclenching. _

_There was so much energy running through her, chakra enough to rip through something... _

_She hadn't felt this way, not in a long time... she hadn't had the drive to do anything like this... not in along time. _

_Breathing in just as hard as before she lowered herself down to a fighting stance, the hyuuga clan's main house._

_A soft sob slipped past her lips and she lashed forward, her fist connecting sharply with the post. The pain drilled up her wrist and forearm, making it numb. _

_Again she shot out. _

_Jab, cross, jab cross..._

_She stopped looking, the tears were making everything so blurry anyway that she couldn't see. _

_The harsh breathing was echoing in the stillness, only the soft whisper of the wind seemed to be there to keep it company. _

_Eyes shut tight she spun, making a solid connection with the post, her kick more than just accurate, there was a crack, and the pain made her think for a moment it was her leg, then she realized it wasn't as she rubbed away the tears still pouring. _

_The post had cracked down the middle. _

_A frown passed over her face and suddenly her hands were up, unlocking her bloodline limit. _

_"Byakugan." _

_Rapidly she moved forward, and instead of letting her hand linger over the post, each forceful jab connected. _

_There was a dull throbbing from her knuckles, but still she didn't stop. She wouldnt stop, not until it was over. The pounding in her ears had to go away, the memory of her father's words and what they meant. It had to be over. _

_"Stop it!" she whimpered, unsure of who she was talking to. Her fist connected one last time, and then she realized that the blurryness wasn't coming from the tears. _

_No... something was wrong, she had stopped crying already. _

_Slowly, breathlessly she straightened, putting a hand to her head as her vision swam. _

_How long had it been..? Turning her head slowly upwards she flinched. The moon, full and enourmous in the sky seemed to swirl. _

_Sighing softly she felt her knees give way, down towards the ground, softly covered in leafs. _

_"...gomen... demo... I will try." she whimpered, watching as the darkness ate at her vision._

If only...father could hear me...

_Then, she let go... and let sleep come forth. _

* * *

_There's the teaser. Leave a message if you want it to be continued. I know there's not a lot of Sasuke/Hinata moments, but that would obviously come next. _

_Please review or I won't continue. _

_Have a lovely day! _

_-Inky_


	2. Part 1 Chp 1: Siblings Fight

**Wow, got lots of replies, really fast too, I'm impressed!**

**Just cuz you're all so cool, I've decided to give you guys the next part of the story. thank you all very much for the reviews, keep it up and i'll keep updating!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto... sadly. **

* * *

_"Are you okay?"_

_Hinata groaned softly, blinking rapidly to get the soft dew off of her lashes. She was covered in it. A thin layer of glittering liquid that was making her sparkle as the sun was coming up. _

_She shivered softly, putting a hand to her head, wincing in pain. "...ugh." she whimpered, shivering forcefully again. Her whole body was a mass of tense muscles, and aching ones too. Were it not because her head was hurting so bad she would be feeling quite accurately the pain in her hands, which were covered in hardened blood. _

_A hand came down on her shoulder, causing her to open her eyes. Light lavender met dark onyx. _

_"What happened?" his voice was deep, tinged with impatience. Hinata stared at him for a moment, struggling to find the name. His face was utterly familiar. _The name... what's your name... oh God...

Uchiha Sasuke...

_"Oh- I-I..." she stuttered, her eyes widening in surprise. Sasuke's hand snatched back, noting the look from earlier in the ramen shop cross her features. She didn't want to be touched. _

_"What happened?" He asked again, that time his voice was forcefully impatient, making her turn a deep shade of red. "I- I don't know..."_

_He frowned slightly at her, studying the new version of the Hyuuga heir. She was wearing different clothes, and her hair was loose... were it not for the blood covering her hands even he would have had to admit she looked vaguely angelic. _

_It wasn't that he wasn't capable of recognizing when a girl was pretty, it was just that most girls ruined it by clinging to him. _

_"Are you okay?" he asked again, breaking the awkward silence, noting that her cheeks were reddening rapidly. But knew that meant nothing. Hyuuga Hinata was deep in love with Naruto. She was one of the few girls that wasn't part of his fanclub. _

_She nodded numbly, grabbing onto the splintering training post to her right to drag herself to her feet. But as he stepped back to watch he noted her shaking legs. _

_"...can you walk?" _

_The girl flinched, holding on to the post for dear life, biting her bottom lip hard. "I-I d-don't think so..." she admitted, colouring in humiliation. _

_Sasuke frowned thoughtfully, watching her shift her weight slightly. It looked like she had damanged her legs somehow. Still frowning he crouched, making her let out a soft 'eep' sound in surprise as he stared at the bruised shins. _

_"You were training...?" he enquired, ignoring the mocking voice in the back of his head that said she probably thought for half a second he was some sort of pervert. _

_"I-I- ye- sort of..." she stuttered, wishing for the love of god that he would pull away- or better yet that she could be wearing her old clothes again. _

_"Hn." he grunted, standing up again. _

_"I-I'm sorry-" Hinata began, making him frown again. "C-could you please call m-my cousin...? I'm sorry... I-I can't get home o-on my own-"_

_Sasuke turned around and crouched, looking over his shoulder at her. "Come on, I'll take you home."_

_Hinata stared at him, hands clenching onto the post, no longer for the sake of keeping her standing. "D-demo- I-"_

_"Your cousin will react differently if you're not there." he stated in a bored tone. "Just come."_

_Biting her lip so hard she thought perhaps it would bleed she nodded, accepting sadly the truth. Neji was over protective at best, and worse if the Uchiha of all people arrived to tell him his young cousin was at the training site unable to walk he would react harshly... and without thinking. _

_Slowly she let her hands fall on his shoulders and climbed onto his back, turning another shade of red as his arms went back to steady her feet while he stood up, rather effortlessly too. _

_Silently they started out of the training area, one Hyuuga blushing fiercely and an Uchiha wondering just how he had ended up in such a mess. _

* * *

_Three figures flashed rapidly through the rooftops, blinking in the brightness of the morning sun. It was just rising, colouring the sky in bright reds and yellows that only Tenten managed to notice and admire._

_Neji, despite his powerful eyes wasn't paying attention to it, but rather was looking rapidly back and forth as they sprinted across the city. _

_"I can't see her." he stated for the fourth time in a row, making Tenten and Lee exchange quick looks of worry. "I believe it shall all be fine!" Lee exclaimed suddenly. "Your cousin is both beautiful and wise, she should be in no danger!"_

_"Yeah... Neji." Tenten nodded, trying to catch up to his rapidly speeding sprint. "Hinata is a smart girl, maybe she left the house early in the morning and you simply didn't catch her between the times when she came in and left?"_

_"That's not right, I should have been watching, but my uncle..." Neji frowned deeply, remembering the sparring session that he had had to endure with Hanabi. They had been fighting strong for over four hours before the girl nearly collapsed. he had been so worried about her that he had forgotten about Hinata leaving. _

_He had actually forgotten his duty..._

_"Damnit." he hissed in a show of uncharacteristic emotion. Something had happened and though no one at the house would say what he knew it was big. Hinata did not have tantrums this way.. what if she disappeared forever..._

Without saying goodbye? She wouldn't do that to me... would she?

_Forcing more chakra into his eyes he pushed on forward, scanning through the trees and houses anxiously, looking for the pretty little kuinoichi that held most of his heart. _

* * *

_Sasuke shifted slightly, adjusting her weight on his back. Somewhere along the way he realized that she had laid her head down on his shoulder and almost fallen asleep, breathing unsteadily the whole time. _

_It was a surprisingly long walk. At a run he probably would have covered the distance in about 30 minutes or so, but at a walk it would be twice that. _

_She wasn't heavy, but he didn't want to wake her, and her body was damaged. His eyes flickered to her hands hanging around his neck. _

_They were bloody and coated in the thick mirk. Under the assumption that she didn't do things like that to herself all the time he had to say she had probably just thrown some sort of tantrum. _

_He knew what that was like... but even he rarely pushed himself to the limit of his abilities. _

_Frowning slightly in thought he glanced towards the sky, judging there what time it was. Probably somewhere around six a.m. Surely her cousin was busy looking for the little princess. _

_Sighing he scanned the surrounding area. The path was longer than if he had gone directly through the village, but accidently meeting a group of fangirls on the way to the Hyuuga estate with the princess on his back was hardly the ideal situation to face early in the morning. _

_The fields of grass that surrounded the road he was walking on were the only sound that he could hear. The soft whisper of the wind making a soft hiss. _

_Hinata's hair danced along with the grass, tickling his face. He ignored it, unsettled by the jasmine scent that lingered on the ebony dark locks. _

_It wasn't that he was anti social... no that wasn't the case. Actually he had secretly gone through several crushes in his childhood and even well into his teens. But now, almost 19 even those crushes had faded. _

_Sakura had been one of them, for the longest time. He hadn't let it show for the sake of keeping his own heart safe. Itachi would have had a riot if he found out that he had someone he cared about enough to protect._

_Then it had been Ino, for a grand total of a three weeks. Then he noted her flirty nature and decided against it. _

_Never Hinata though... it hadn't even crossed her mind. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty but he had always held the belief that if someone didn't want him, then most likely he didn't want them. And under all circumstances they hadn't exchanged more than a couple of words. Usually in a very awkward manner too. _

_She wasn't interesting enough, he decided. She didn't have enough confidence in herself. The most attractive thing about a girl was confidence. _

_As if the silence were suddenly too much to bear Hinata said tiredly from her place on his back. "...gomen, Uchiha-san." The sound was mumbled and obviously strained. _

_"Hn." Sasuke replied, startled by her sudden comment. Then more calmly he added. "For what?"_

_"...y-you probably have other things to be doing. I-I'm sorry for imposing."_

_Sasuke blinked, staring on ahead. He wanted to shrug but the motion would have been strange for her. "Hn. It's fine." he muttered. _

_The silence continued on for a long moment, tension building on his shoulders heavier than Hinata. She had already begun the conversation once so, sacrifising all sense of pride he sighed. "What were doing, training until you dropped?"_

_Hinata's hands tightened around his shoulders, obviously an unconscious movement. "...I...I need t-to get stronger..."_

_Sasuke scoffed invulentarily. "Passing out isn't going to help that."_

_She seemed to shrink slightly, he only noticed because he felt it against his back and the shadow showed the movement on the ground. _

_"Oh... I...hai."_

_Sasuke shifted her weight again, just to do something to lessen the awkwardness. "You should get help with your training." he continued, forcing out the sentences. _

_Hinata's shadow didn't 'unshrink'._

_"H-hai." she mumbled. _

_He realized suddenly that she was feeling looked down on and nearly let out a sigh of defeat. The girl was impossible. She couldn't keep a conversation going at all._

_Irritated he searched for something to say and before he knew it something was indeed slipping out of his mouth. "I could help."_

_He watched suddenly as her shadow un-shrunk, if only a little. _

_"...o-oh? A-arigato, Uchiha-san... I-I'll keep that in mind."_

_Sasuke beat himself mentally. He didn't have time to train a girl like her- hell, he didn't have time to train anyone. He had to get stronger himself, fighting a Hyuuga- He stopped, his thought process suddenly taking a new turn. _

_Fighting a Hyuuga... maybe the princess would be useless, but Neji might be of some use. His stregnth was impressive. _

_He shrugged mentally, realizing that Hinata was unlikely to take him up on his accidental offer. She was far too shy. _

_"Why do you need to get stronger?" he enquired lazily, flinching as a handful of sakura blossoms passed by in the morning breeze, tangling themselves in Hinata's long hair. _

_"...ano... just..." Hinata frowned at herself. It wasn't so hard to say, she was struggling so much, and he was being so helpful. Swallowing her nervousness she mumbled. "M-my sister... she is stronger... I-I have to find a w-way to-"_

_"Beat her?" Sasuke finished, stopping his walk suddenly. His voice was suddenly different and Hinata shivered slightly in the cold, staring at their shadows on the ground. _

_"...well...h-hai."_

_"Why?" he asked softly, eyes focused on the ground. _

_Hinata's eyes suddenly became worried. He sounded so sad. _

_"...she will take away my clan... i-if I can't."_

_A shiver passed through him, and she felt it against her chest. "...ano...Uchiha-san...a-are you...are you o-ok?"_

_"Fine." he muttered, continuing on in silence. _

_Hinata didn't reply, though she disagreed silently. He wasn't fine, she could feel it. Laying her head back down on his shoulder she allowed herself to close her eyes and drift off... there was nothing more to say. _

* * *

_"OW! Sakura-chan, what was that for!?" Naruto cried loudly. Sakura sat down beside him on the stool, giving him a fake smile. "For that little stunt you pulled yesterday. Why did you make Sasuke feel so uncomfortable, he might have stayed otherwise!"_

_"I thought you were over that!" Naruto grumbled, rubbing his now bruised old bump from before. "Geez, dattebayo... You're gonna kill me one day."_

_"Yes, I probbaly will." Sakura sniffed arrogantly, staring at her tea. _

_"Where did you and Hinata-chan go after all the fuss here?" Naruto enquired, slurping up his morning ramen noisily. _

_Sakura brightened up instantly. Naruto was a complete baka a lot of the time, but he knew well how to manage Sakura of all people. _

_"We went shopping! You should see her! She's beautiful in her new outfits!"_

_Naruto nodded. "Sure- I guess. It's just kinda weird seeing Hinata-chan in clothes other than that sweater of hers."_

_"It's too old to be worn anymore. Don't tell her, but I took it out of her bags when she left." Sakura stated mischeivously, obviously proud of herself. _

_Naruto blinked at her, confused. "Why would you do that?"_

_"Ino and I burned it!" Sakura's eyes brightened even more. "There's no more sweater for Hinata-chan anymore! She's far too pretty to be wearing that stuff."_

_"Er... Sakura.. that might not go down so well, Hinata is a lil attatched to that thing, isn't she?" Naruto started worriedly, wondering what he would do if someone suddenly burned his favorite orange outfit. _

_Sakura blinked back at him in equal confusion. "It's just time for her to move on, honestly. She's had this silly attatchment since the Academy days..." her voice drifted off suddenly as her eyes focused on something behind Naruto. _

_Puzzled the blonde turned around and stared also, eyes widening. _

_"...is that Sasuke-teme..." _

_"...carrying Hinata-chan?" Sakura whispered. _

_In a flash the two ninjas were stumbling out the door, tripping over each other as they raced to reach Sasuke who was turning into another street. _

_"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, making the Uchiha glance over his shoulder quickly. "Damned." he hissed. Hinata lifted her head groggily. "W-what is it?"_

_"Hold on, I'm not talking to those two until later." he muttered. Hinata started, feeling his chakra rippling under his skin. "Uchiha-san-? What are y-you-"_

_"Hold on." he muttered again and started to run, jumping onto the roof of a nearby house. Hinata gasped in surprise, having never been carried while jumping that way. The sensation was that of falling. _

_Her grip tightened rapidly as he sped over the houses, jumping with ease over the rooftops, leaving the baka and the pink haired med nin behind to stare gaping after them. _

_"W-what are we- r-running f-from?" Hinata stuttered, glancing over her shoulder. _

_"Nothing." Sasuke replied coldly, jumping down onto her street and walking calmly over to the gate. Hinata stared at the building, realizing she was finally home. _

_"Ano... a-arigato-Uchiha-san-"_

_"Hinata!" _

_The girl was halfway through slipping off of Sasuke's back when the cry sounded off behind her, making her turn too fast and nearly fall. Sasuke's arms were there quickly, steadying her with an impassive expression on his face. _

_Neji jumped down from a nearby roof, followed quickly by Tenten and Lee, both of them panting heavily. _

_"Uchiha." He frowned, his Byakugan activated. Sasuke resisted the urge to activate his own bloodline limit. "Hyuuga." he replied coldly, still holding Hinata up. _

_"Neji-sama... I-" Hinata began, sensing the tension. _

_"Where have you been?" Neji snapped suddenly, making her shrink into Sasuke quickly. "We've been looking for you since dawn."_

_"Neji.." Tenten began. "It's only seven thirty-"_

_"Hinata." Neji stated again._

_The girl was burning bright with humilation as she stared at the ground. "Gomen, Neji-sama... I... was training and I..."_

_"She can't walk." Sasuke finished off impatiently, picking her up like a child and making her gasp in surprise. Neji's attitude was irritating. _

_Bristling with impatience Neji stood there, unsure of what to do. Thankfully Tenten moved forward quickly to open the gate. _

_"Come on... Neji... do you have medical supplies, or should Lee maybe go get Sakura...?"_

_"I'll take her." Neji snapped impatiently, taking Hinata from Sasuke's arms roughly. The two genuises exchanged glares as the girl was passed from one to the other. _

_"...ano...arigato...Uchiha-san." Hinata whimpered, looking pointedly at her hands, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Again she was being a burden... always a burden. _

_"It's fine." Sasuke muttered, turning around and starting down the street, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking for all the world like he didn't care. _

_Neji glared at him for a moment longer before entering the house, followed by Tenten and Lee. _

_"It's fine." he called over his shoulder at them. "I'll take care of it, arigato... for helping so early in the morning."_

_The two ninja's exchanged looks again. "Um... okay..." Tenten muttered uncertainly. "We'll... come back later..."_

_Together they left, leaving Neji to slip into the silent house, still carrying the humiliated Hinata in his arms. _

_"Where were you?" he enquired as calmly as he could. Hinata shifted in his arms. "The t-training s-site."_

_"You didn't come home?" _

_She shook her head. "I-I passed out...gomen, Neji-kun... I didn't m-mean to-"_

_"Quiet." the Hyuuga sighed, walking up the stairs towards her room. "It's fine."_

_She sighed, feeling miserable. Things just didn't seem to be getting any better. _

* * *

Haha, this is probably the only time you'll see the first chapter be shorter than the teaser. lol, sorry about that guys, but I figured it was better to end it here, or it would start to get irritating.

Keep up the reviews! It's good! I keep updating when I get reviews!

and, i have a lot of time on my hands for the weekend, so maybe i'll update again if i really get replies

Please leave a message if you think the characters are OC too, it'd be great to be able to write without doing that

Have a lovely day!

-Inky


	3. Chp 2: Friendly Rivals

Reviews reviews!

Hey guys, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to post the rough draft of all my chapters first, then I will go back and edit it properly when I'm in the mood, cuz editing sucks, I have to look up words and all that crap sometimes, seeing as english is my second language...

Anyway.

Please R&R, I hope you all enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: No, we all know I don't own Naruto...

* * *

_The darkness usually does odd things when you stare at it long enough. Close your eyes and just sit there watching the colours swirl. There seems almost to be a whole world there, hidden in the depths of your mind..._

_Hinata pondered that idea, watching the darkness with open eyes. Her room was completely black again, as was common. She couldn't sleep otherwise, the light of the moon was enough to instill a sense of anxiety. _

_Sighing she rolled over in bed, looking drowsily into yet more darkness._

_Neji had been upset with her all day long. Hanabi hadn't even made an apperance and Father... he had come into the living room just as she was getting the bandages around her hands on. _

_His eyes had said all that was running through her mind. He didn't think she would make it, not even if she was given five more years rather than one. _

_Biting her lip, the young Hyuuga heiress shoved the covers off and sat at the corner of her bed, staring at her toes, or rather the place where her toes were supposed to be, only darkness was there at the moment. _

_Cautiously she tested her weight on her shins and flinched slightly at the odd feel. She had apperantly managed to damage the tendons around her ankles, one worse than the other. She could stand, but it wasn't a good feeling. _

_Sighing heavily she sat back down and buried her face in her hands, wanting for some reason to burst into tears. And, as if life were playing a mean joke on her she found her eyes to be utterly dry... _

_Another sigh escaped her as she flung herself back onto the bed, curling up in the covers, hiding from more darkness within the shadows. _

Can I even do it... can I actually do what I said I would? One year... maybe Hanabi would make a better- No. Don't think that way... Naruto-kun... he would never look at me again if I somehow... if I ever...

I can't give up... I can't.

_Shutting her eyes tightly she curled into herself, fetal position feeling more and more like a comfortable state. No, she wouldn't give up. _

I'll do this... I will. I'll do this...

* * *

_Sakura stared at her hands, rough from having to clean the medical instruments at work. the cleaning materials always left her hands feeling like sandpaper. _

_She frowned slightly at her flesh, rubbing her thumb and finger together, pondering the sensation. _

_"...you're sure that she was with Sasuke?" Ino asked again, her voice more serious than usual. _

_Sakura shrugged, glancing sideways at the cute waiter that had come over to offer them more coffee. For the sake of it she gave him a smile, the kind that would make most men swoon. He swooned, artfully and managed not to drop anything as he walked away. _

_"Well, he ran away, but I couldn't see the symbol on his back, she was on him after all." The pink haired med nin muttered, rubbing her fingers across the table surface, looking gloomy. "And it's been a week since Hinata last contacted either of us."_

_"I saw Neji the other day, buying medical supplies." Ino put in thoughtfully, rubbing her forehead. "Do you think she got hurt?"_

_"What would Sasuke have to do with that?" Sakura muttered, letting out a tired sigh. The situation was aggravating. Sasuke had been avoiding both Naruto and herself like the plague, and Hinata had been out of reach for over a week. Every time either of them showed up at her door the servants said she was busy or sleeping. _

_Hinata didn't sleep that much. _

_"She's sick or something." Ino stated roughly, slamming her hand on the table and making their cups jump. _

_"We should force our way into the estate!"_

_"I'm sure that would work." Sakura replied dryly, laying her chin on the table, staring off into the distance. "Sasuke is the best bet at getting answers. I bet Hinata is pretty much being held hostage at home. Her family is so controlling."_

_"What if she doesn't want to talk to us about it?" Ino enquired softly, watching Sakura's green eyes darken angrily. "Why would she do that?"_

_"...she was with Sasuke, Sakura. Every girl we know except for Hinata has had a crush on Sasuke... what if we just didn't realize-"_

_"Don't be stupid." Sakura snapped, standing up so fast she nearly made the table fall over. People glanced at them warily, wondering if they should ever go to that coffee shop again. _

_"Well, it's a possibility." Ino grumbled, standing up as well. "Or maybe we're looking into it too much- you're just jealous she got to be around him is all."_

_"Shut up." Sakura hissed, giving her a look that might turn milk sour. "It's not that... I'm just confused."_

_"Whatever." Ino grumbled, pulling at her bangs. It was the movement she did when irritated but defeated. _

_"Maybe we should try one more time?" the blonde added. "She might be better now. I went last thursday, when did you go last?"_

_Sakura shrugged, dropping some loose change on the table as a tip. "I don't know, before that, I think."_

_"Let's try to go now then. Maybe they'll be willing to let the prisoner have visitors." Ino mumbled, leaving a tip too, and flashing the waiter a smile as she slipped out the door. Sakura followed, still gloomy. _

_Truth was, she didn't quite know what was making her so gloomy. The situation was just confusing and having no one answer any of her questions for over a week was even more irritating. Hinata had been missing both in training and at work at the medical clinic where they both held down jobs as assistant nurses. _

_It wasn't like her to miss so much work, and training. _

_"If all else fails, maybe we can ask Sasuke-kun." Ino added, walking backwards as they strolled down the street. "He probably knows."_

_"I haven't seen him since then." Sakura admitted sadly. "He's avoiding me."_

_Ino shrugged, looking unimpressed. "He avoids us all." _

_It wasn't too long before they had reached the Hyuuga estate. Silently the two girls stared up at the gates leading into the impressive traditional style building. _

_"I still don't understand why Hinata has a job. Her family is loaded." Ino grumbled, pushing through the gateway and stepping up to the door. _

_Sakura followed behind carrying the two lillies they had baught along the way. "She doesn't like to impose, that's what she told me."_

_"Impose- whatever." Ino grumbled, lifting her pale hand to knock on the door. _

_Only it flung open right before she could. _

_Neji looked impassively at the blonde, quirking an eyebrow slightly at her confused expression. _

_"Er... Neji-sama." She began, dropping her raised hand. _

_"Ino, Sakura." The Hyuuga muttered indifferently. "What can I do for you?"_

_While Ino gaped like a fish Sakura stepped up to her level, sighing. "We were hoping to see Hinata-chan... it's been about a week since we last-"_

_"No, she's still tired." he interuptted, stepping out and beginning to close the door. "Come back some other-"_

_"Neji-kun?" Hinata's soft voice interuptted. Neji's hand froze halfway through closing the door. _

_"Hinata!" Sakura breathed, glancing over at Neji's unreadable expression. Impassively he pushed the door open again and looked in, his back to the two girls. _

_"What is it, Hinata-sama?"_

_"ano...who are you talking t-to... i thought I heard Sakura and In-"_

_"Hinata!" Ino cried suddenly. "Tell your cousin to get out of the way!"_

_Neji turned rapidly to glare at the blonde, causing her to shrink slightly behind Sakura who was ignoring him and looking carefully into the house. _

_"...C-can they come in...Neji-sama?" Hinata called from the top of the stairs, looking down at the light from the open doorway. _

_For a long moment Neji held the door open, still in the way. An irritated breath escaped his lips and he stepped aside, opening the door wider for the two girls to pass by. _

_"Upstairs." he muttered impatiently as the two kuinoichi removed their shoes, giving him odd looks as they passed. Wordlessly he closed the door, not hearing Hinata's soft call of arigato as he left. _

_

* * *

_

_"So she passed out?!" Naruto cried, nearly falling off his stool in his excitement. Sasuke watched impassively, his sake cup up to his lips. Nothing on his face would have said he was amused by the reaction, though in truth he was. _

_"Hn." he hummed in reply, sipping the bitter liquid as if it were tea. _

_"What the hell was she doing out there?! Dattebayo- all girls have gone crazy." The blonde grumbled, straightening himself out on the stool and beginning his attack on his ramen again. _

_Sasuke watched the slurpy monster beside him out of the corner of his eye, mentally giving a disgusted sigh. _

_"Do you eat anything other than ramen?" he enquired irritably, putting his cup down almost in disgust. Naruto shot him a look. "Lay off, everyone asks me that."_

_"You're always here." Sasuke replied calmly, lifting his cup to his lips again. Naruto twitched. "Dattebayo...why does anyone care?"_

_"I don't."_

_Muttering incoherently Naruto pushed his ramen bowl away... painfully. _

_"So... was it awkward?" He chirped after a moment grabbing a dupling from a nearby tray. Sasuke didn't reply but stared down at his reflection in his sake. His thoughts were already somewhere else, comparing his training routine with that of Neji Hyuuga. _

_"Sasuke-teme?" Naruto prodded, giving him a poke. _

_The Uchiha shoved his hand away impatiently, dragging himself out of his thoughts. "Nani?" he snapped impatiently, deciding at that very moment that he would leave. _

_"Was it awkward, carrying Hinata-chan all the way back home?" Naruto snapped back. "You two are as silent as the grave, and I've never ever seen you even acknowledge each other's existence."_

_Sasuke stared at the blonde, surprised by the correct articulation of the situation. "Hn." He grumbled, pushing away from the counter and slipping off the stool. _

_"She's boring."_

_"Hinata-chan? Naaaah, she's just shy!" Naruto called as the young man searched his pockets for money. Sasuke gave him a look, feeling a little groggy from the amount of sake he had consumed. It was more than the usual, that was for sure. For some reason he hadn't paid attention to the amount while he sat there listening to Naruto's senseless yapping. Probably he had unconsciously tried to drink himself deaf so that he wouldnt have to listen to the idiocy._

_"She's got no confidence whatsoever." The Uchiha grumped, the lightheaded feeling distracting him slightly from controlling his currently loose tongue. "It's boring."_

_Naruto blinked at him, studying the young man thoughtfully. The pink tinge on his cheeks was obvious, and he had that look in his eye that Jiraya got when he drank too much. _

_"...Sasuke are you drunk?" he gaped, stunned. _

_Said drunkered rubbed his face. "You're a complete baka, of course I'm not drunk."_

_"You sure as hell aren't sober."_

_"Shut up."_

_Smirking broadly Naruto watched Sasuke put down the few coins for his sake that he owed and move towards the door, already stuffing his hands into his pockets. _

_"Yo, Sasuke-teme... you might want to talk to Sakura-chan soon... she's been really irritable lately cuz you haven't been around." the blonde called earning no reply from the dazed Uchiha. _

_"Sasuke! I mean it! It's been a week and a half- she's even managed to talk to Hinata-dattebayo!" He cried sharply as the door slammed cutting him off halfway through his sentence. _

_Grumbling about a particular teme the young ninja pulled back his ramen bowl, giving a sigh of satisfaction as he dug into it's soupy goodness. _

_

* * *

_

_Hinata stared at the cherry blossom tree, sitting idly by the side of the couryard, her foot hanging off the side of the floorboards swinging lazily. _

_During spring the sakura blossoms were the most beautiful trees in all of the village, and her house was full of them. She had been told once by one of the servants that her mother had insisted to have them planted... one of the few things she insisted upon. _

_Sighing the young princess leaned her chin on her knee, blinking thoughtfully as each blossom fell from it's branches to land on the ground in a pile of pink fluffiness. _

_Sakura was lucky to have a name that meant such beauty- but then again, it fit her well. If she had ended up with a name like that... she probably would have been made fun of. She wasn't pretty at all. _

_"Hinata-chan?" a soft voice called behind her, making the Hyuuga heir turn to look over her shoulder sharply. _

_Hanabi stood there, looking uncertain and small, her eyes flickering over the bandages on her sister's hands and ankles. _

_"...I haven't seen you in so long..." the youngster mumbled, still standing back slightly. _

_Hinata blinked at her confusedly for a moment, realizing suddenly that she had indeed spent most of her time locked up in her room without moving. It had simply caused too much pain to go out even as far as the washroom was. _

_"Ano... gomen, Hanabi-chan. I didn't mean to disappear." Hinata started, watching her sister's expression with care. She looked a little pale, or more so than usual, and certainly uncomfortable, which was strange.. things weren't that way between them. _

_"A..are you okay?" Hanabi asked, just as Hinata was beginning the same words. The elder stopped, glancing down at her bandages in realization. _

_"Oh- h-hai! I'm fine... I just... hurt myself, it was a foolish mistake, that's all." Hinata cried worriedly. "I'm perfectly fine."_

_"Father did something... did he not?" Hanabi sighed, her shoulders loosening as she walked over and sat down beside her older sister, looking towards the cherry blossoms with equally sad eyes. _

_Hinata sighed as well, blinking down at her toes. "...I'm sorry that I've put you in this situation, Hanabi-chan.. if only I were stronger..."_

_"You will. You will get stronger, Hinata-chan. I'm sure of it."_

_"Do you want to be heir, Hanabi?" Hinata stated suddenly, so softly that Hanabi hesitated for a moment in believing she had even said it. _

_"...do I want to?" the young girl whispered, watching a gust of wind rip from the sakura tree dozens of it's blossoms. "...I don't know."_

_"I need to get stronger." Hinata continued softly, laying her head back down on her knee, not realizing that in the company of her sister she did not stutter and did not feel completely inadequate. Unless the conversation was about battle and warfare. _

_Hanabi bit her lip. "Will he make us fight?"_

_The elder smiled weakly and turned to look at the young girl with sad eyes. "We shall see."_

_Nodding quietly Hanabi turned away towards the tree again, shivering, but not from the cold. "You should train with someone, Hinata-chan. I have Neji-kun and father to train me. You should have someone too, it's only fair."_

_"I have Kurenai-sensei and Kiba-kun and Shino-kun-"_

_"You know they help nothing." Hanabi stated suddenly, sounding much like their father. Hinata froze, looking directly ahead, jaw tight. _

_It was true... years of training, years of trying so hard and yet it seemed to be doing nothing. Sometimes she felt like Kurenai along with everyone else considered her a lost cause. _

_"...there is no one else, Hanabi-chan." the heiress replied gently, closing her eyes. "They are my only hope- I cannot count on another person to offer-"_

"I can help."

_Hinata's eyes opened suddenly, remembering his voice and the sadness in it. _

_"Hinata?" Hanabi blinked, cocking her head. "Are you okay?"_

_"Fine." Hinata nodded, her thoughts racing. "I'm fine. You're right, Hanabi. I have to look for someone else."_

_"But... you just said-" Hanabi began, sounding puzzled. _

_"I'll be back later!" Hinata cried, standing up sharply and running out the door and up the stairs to change. Hanabi continued to sit there looking completely confused. _

_"Nani?"_

* * *

_"You know, Sakura... a long time ago I figured you'd get over the whole Sasuke thing." Ino stated suddenly, making Sakura look up from examining some beautiful lillies in her flower shop. _

_"What?" the girl began with a frown. "What are you talking about?"_

_"Well I dunno, you just... you've been so out of it since we went to Hinata's house. It's like she didn't reassure you that nothing happened."_

_Sakura's expression cleared for a moment into impassiveness and then a smile broke over her features, bright and cheery. "What are you talking about? Don't be silly." she laughed, bending down to pick up one of the lillies. _

_Ino frowned at her from the other side of the counter, arranging roses in a bouquet almost absent mindedly. _

_"I'm not an idiot, Sakura. You haven't given up on Sasuke at all. It's ridiculous... just the thought of him being around any other girl still makes you flinch doesn't it." the blonde stated grudgidly. _

_Sakura swallowed, crouching down with her back to the blonde. _

_"You're wrong. I'm not sure what's bothering me about the situation, but it's not that." She lied smoothly. "Hinata was lying to us, it was obvious. She won't say why she went out to train so hard-"_

_"Sasuke just happened to come by, Sakura." Ino cut in impatiently, ripping off the leafs attatched to the thorn covered stem of a rose forcefully. _

_"They didn't meet on purpose or anything. That's not what she was lying about-"_

_"I know that!" Sakura snapped, standing up rapidly and heading towards the counter, angrily searching for her money in her purse. "You're just bugging me about this without stopping. I'm not obsessed with him or anything! She's absolutely in love with Naruto anyway so even IF I was it wouldn't be a threat at all!"_

_"Exactly! So why is it that when you say that it sounds like you're lying!" Ino shouted back, earning a look of desperation from the pink haired girl in front of her. _

_"Ino... please... I dont want to talk about this anymore. Of all the things to fight about, this is the stupidest, you don't even have any proof."_

_The blonde frowned, pulling back from the counter slightly as if in peace. "fine." she mumbled, ringing up the single lilly that Sakura held in her hands. _

_Silently the two girls moved the motions of exchanging the money and putting the single flower in a vase of water only to be interuptted by the door swinging open and a very touseled looking Hinata barged in. _

_"Hinata!" The two chorused, eyes wide. "What are you-" Sakura began but stopped, looking at her friend over again and realizing suddenly that something was different. _

_In three seconds the answer came crashing down. Hinata's sweater was gone, instead she was wearing one of the outfits that they had baught for her. The black mesh on top of a tank top. Bandages were wrapped almost up to her elbows and her knee length pants were black as well, unlike her dark blue ones of before. _

_Had her hair not looked so frazzled she would have appeared to be some sort of ninja model off a poster, the ninja headband stapped around her waist and the pouch against her hip stating the obvious proffession she had chosen. _

_"M-my sweater- Sakura-chan, y-you didn't- you didn't take it did you?" her eyes were wide in her face and she was breathing hard, as if she had run all the way from home._

_Ino and Sakura exchanged guilty looked. _

_"Uh...your sweater... I..." Sakura began, drifting off into nothingness. Ino sighed. "...ano... Hinata-chan, you know, we got you knew clothes so that you wouldn't-"_

_With a sigh Hinata sat down on a nearby stool, looking at her hands. _

_"Oh." was all she said, making Ino and Sakura looked awkwardly at each other. "Gomen... Hinata-chan... I didn't think that you cared so much..." Sakura began, feeling vaguely miserable. _

_"Ano.. it's okay. I just... needed it." the girl mumbled before giving them half hearted smiles. She had almost drawn up enough courage to go ask Uchiha-san for assistance... and then she had realized that her sweater was gone and it had all deflated like a half hearted balloon. _

_"For what? You look adorable as it is!" Ino cried, walking over and pulling her up, examing her the way some sort of fashion designer would. "I mean, come on... just look at you- that sweater just didn't work, Hinata-chan."_

_"Ano..." the girl murmured softly, still feeling gloomy. "...I should head back... I only told Hanabi-chan that I was leaving-"_

_"Oh, that bothersome little prodigy, huh?" Ino grumped, earning a kick from Sakura. _

_The tension didn't dissapate however as Hinata studied the two girls, noting in their way of talking and moving a different emotion. Things were awkward. In front of Sakura and Ino things weren't awkward, they were embarrasingly fun..._

_"...ano... Hanabi is not bothersome... she is... stronger, is all." Hinata murmured softly, looking at her hands with a frown. She had known for a long time that her friends didn't appreciate her sister's powers and ability. To them, it was like Hanabi was the obstacle in the way, but that wasn't true. _

I'm the obstacle... I'm the one in everyone's way.

_"Arigato, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan... I should go... bye." Hinata mumbled, turning around without letting them have a chance to say anything in apology. Unsure of what she was thanking them for the two girls watched the young Hyuuga walk out, rearranging the bandages around her arms as she turned the corner and vanished. _

_"...I think she might have actually...been upset with us." Ino muttered, stunned. _

_Sakura nodded, equally tense. "...that's never happened before, has it?"_

_"Hell no."_

_"Damned."_

* * *

_Sasuke Uchiha had a hangover... it wasn't a bad one, actually it was nothing in comparison to the first hangover her had gone through. This was small, just a splitting headache and an utter intolerence to light. _

_Groaning in a rare show of vunerability the Uchiha rolled out of bed, wearing nothing but loose jogging pants. Cursing very healthily he stumbled into the washroom near his room, waiting impatiently for the sink to fill with cold water. _

_His house was as usual utterly silent and cold. He had been offered an apartment some years after his parent's death, Iruka had stated that it would probably be easier to keep clean. What he had obviously been trying to say was that it would be easier to bear the utter cold silence that one expirienced while living alone in a big house. _

_But Sasuke had been proud, even before the incident and refused the offer, staying instead in one of the Uchiha homes, one of the few not marred horribly by the blood and memory of deaths. This one had been empty of people even before the 'incident'. It was the second home of some other rich relative he didn't care to remember. _

_Three floors, most of them made of soft ebony wood, with traditional style doors and hallways- the second floor, the one on groudn level had a courtyard in the middle of the box of rooms and there bloomed a sakura tree. For the longest time the Uchiha had hated that stupid tree and considered cutting it down. _

_In comparison to the dark house it's pink petals were a painful marring stain in the scenery. But he had never had the real nerve to take an axe and just swing it into the living bark, so it was still there, living and breathing and irritating him. _

_Finally the sink seemed to be full enough and he turned off the tap, staring at the rippling water and his reflection within it. Naruto had mentioned something or other about Sakura being irritable before he left. It wasn't that he cared, but he figured if he didn't talk to her soon she would probably murder Naruto in frustration and seeing as Naruto was his main training partner that would be of some annoyance. _

_Sighing he dunked his head in the shockingly cold water, preparing himself mentally to go out. _

I bloody well hate my life...

* * *

_Hinata had not made it very far from the flower shop, only a few blocks away and it had already been over half an hour since she had left. It wasn't good, seeing as no one at home knew where she was, and she wasn't allowed to go out quite yet- Neji would have a fit, and father would give her that look he always gave her when he was disgusted and worse... they would all be right. _

_Running through the village when your ankle tendons are still sore from getting smashed forcefully into solid wooden objects is hardly a smart thing to do, but she had done it and there she was sitting by the side of the road, unwrapping the bandages on her ankles because the swelling had got too bad for her to put up with the strain. _

_Flinching she removed the last layer and noted with some wincing that both ankles were bruised with yellowing and purple spots and that they were indeed swollen again, which meant she would have to spend a few hours waiting for it to go down before she could go home. _

_Neji would have a very, very long fit..._

_Since the street was empty she threw her head back, closing her eyes, wearing a frown of discontent. "...ano... I'm such a baka..."_

_"Stranded again?"_

_Rapidly the Hyuuga princess sat up, startled to see Sasuke Uchiha, hands in his pockets a few feet away, eyeing her bruised ankles thoughtfully. _

_"I- no, no no" she stuttered quickly, hoping for all the world that he wouldn't offer to get her home again, Neji wouldn't just have a fit then... nooo, it would be something much worse, probably a silent treatment for the next century or something. _

_"I just needed to rest-" she lied quickly, grabbing her bandages and beginning to wrap quickly, despite the swelling. _

_Insulted by her obvious lie the Uchiha prodigy crouched, forcing her to look up despite her best intentions to keep from eye contact. "Do you think I'm some sort of idiot or something?"_

_Hinata stared, frozen in something like fear. _

_"...nani?! N-n-no! I would never-"_

_"You're not walking on those." he added, irritated now. Just to give her a hard time he snatched the bandages away, making her let out a soft 'eep' sound of surprise. "Are Ino and Sakura at the flower shop?" he added, seeing as she was heading back from that general direction. Hinata sat there, with nothing in her hands to fiddle with and nodded quickly, unsure of what he was planning to do. She wished he would just leave and let her deal with this... she hadn't asked for his help..._

_"Come." He muttered, making her shrink again as he crouched down in front of her for the second time in less than two weeks. "Sakura can heal those in a few minutes."_

_"N-n-no- I just c-came from there and they just-" she began, feeling close to tears now. He wasn't being nice about it at all, his voice was angry- okay so maybe she shouldn't have lied so bluntly, but what else was she supposed to do- tell him to go away?_

_"Be quiet and climb on." he sighed, rolling his eyes despite himself. "I don't have all day."_

_Lips trembling from the second humiliation in a day Hinata climbed painfully to her feet and forced her shaking hands to take his shoulders...again._

_"D-demo...Uchiha-san... Gomen, I d-didn't mean to o-offend y-you-"_

_"Hn." he replied, as always very descriptive in his response._

_The walk was quick, he was walking faster than before when they had had to take the trip from the training site to the Hyuuga estate. It wasn't longer than five minutes and they were standing in front of Ino's flower shop, looking in the window as the two girls inside bickered loudly about something. _

_Sometimes he wondered why the flowers in Ino's shop didn't wilt... she was always shouting and screaming, the negative irritating vibes 'had' to affect them somehow, didn't they?_

_Sighing with the annoyance of being civil he pushed open the door, noting the way Hinata hid behind his shoulder as he did so. _

_The two girls turned at the sound of the bell and froze, staring at none other than Uchiha Sasuke, carrying- yet again, Hyuuga Hinata._

_"...W-wha-what?" Sakura began, utterly confused. _

_Ino on the other hand, having gotten over most of the fangirl symptoms jumped forward towards Hinata rather than Sasuke. "Hinata-chan!" she cried. 'What happened!? Are you okay?"_

_"F-fine." the little princess whimpered from her place behind Sasuke's shoulder. The Uchiha glanced back at her thoughtfully, making eye contact for a total of three seconds before her face burst into a red shade. _

_"She hurt her ankles... again." he mumbled, walking over to a nearby chair and lowering himself down to a crouch so she could sit down. "I'm assuming you can help, Sakura?"_

_The pink haired nin finally snapped out of her stunned state and jumped forward, hands moving automatically to Hinata's ankles, though she still looked utterly confused. _

_"...Sasuke-kun... why were you-?"_

_"I just passed her on the road." he interuptted irritably, crossing his arms and watching as the glow of chakra around the girl's hands began and the swelling starting it's descend around Hinata's flesh. _

_The little princess was hanging her head, looking at her hands as if they were the most interesting part of the entire room. He frowned slightly, puzzled by her absolutely defeated aura. He hadn't been that harsh at all- hell had it been Ino or Sakura he probably would have left them there and gone to get Shikamaru or Naruto to go pick them up. _

_"You should be fine in a few minutes... why didn't you tell me you hadn't gotten medical attention for these when I was at your house the other day, Hinata?' Sakura sighed impatiently, pushing out her chakra angrily. "I could have just healed it then."_

_Hinata's voice was tiny, almost inaudible in the still room. _

_"...gomen, I-I didn't want t-to impose..."_

_Finally vexed to his limit the Uchiha turned to leave, rotating his shoulders where her grip had tightened on the way to the shop. Obviously he was missing something, there was something in the air he couldn't understand, perhaps the awkwardness between the healer and the patient. _

_He frowned at them a moment and then pushed the door open, making the bell jingle loudly. He stopped and turned to Hinata, as if to say something. Ino and Sakura looked at him, blinking, Hinata didn't look up but clenched her fists instead. _

_Swallowing whatever it was he was going to say he slipped out the door wordlessly and started down the street towards Naruto's hang out, the ramen shop. _

_He needed sake..._

* * *

Horrible Chapter, I think. I just went over everything over and over... ugh... i'm sorry guys, i didn't realize it was so bad. I'll get better for the next one, promise.

Keep giving me good advice on how to fix it- all the stuff you want, spelling grammar, stuff you didn't understand- let me know, I'll try to make it better when i edit each chapter.

Oh, and obviously, review!

-Inky


	4. Chp 3: Sake Tasting

Hello!

Thanks for the reviews, keep up the replies, anything to do with the chapter would be great, I'm a learning writer, so i need teachers!

I'm currently finishing editing my first two chapters, i'll repost them soon.

Hope you enjoy it! R&R

-Inky

* * *

_Hinata stared dazedly at Shino ahead of her, panting from the strain of sparring for so long. A whole hour... sparring. She had not done that in so long. Even in real battles she had only faught for minutes, each segment breaking before continuing so she could regain her stregnth and some of her wits. _

_But part of what Kurenai had always admired about her was her stamina. She could keep going, forever if need be. The problem was that usually she never did enough damage. It 'did' take forever for her to win against an opponent, and that was when she wasn't being torn to bits because she wasn't moving away fast enough. _

_As if to prove her right Shino shot forward rapidly, his expression unreadable behind the high neck and dark glasses. With a sharp gasp Hinata hit the ground and rolled, holding her stomach where he had connected rather well. _

_In her day dreaming she had not realized he could move so fast. _

_"Hinata."He stated, the worry in his voice just barely audible. Kiba too jumped from his perch in a nearby tree and walked over quickly. _

_"I'm okay." Hinata mumbled, pushing herself up to a sitting position, arms wrapped around her stomach, still gasping for air. "It's my fault for not watching."_

_Shino crouched by her, eyeing the many bruises that Kiba and himself had inflicted on Hinata's usually flawless skin. "Perhaps we should stop for the day."_

_"Oh." Hinata sighed, trying to regain her composure. "H-hai. If you want."_

_They nodded both at once and turned to start picking up the loose bits of shattered shuriken that littered the training site, just behind the trees that held the river bank up. _

_Hinata watched them quietly, listening to the sound of the wind through the tree branches and the river flowing ceaselessly behind her. _

_"Come, Hinata-chan." Kiba called, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We'll walk you home."_

_Hinata studied them for a moment, pondering how she could get out of the offer without insulting them and without full out lying. Frowning slightly she glanced over her shoulder at the river and the sunset that was beginning it's beautiful decent in the distance. _

_"Arigato, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun. Demo... I-I think I'll stay behind. I j-just want to watch the sunset."_

_The two boys eyed her warily, but she did seem tired enough to stop. She had yet to move from her position on the ground where Shino had left her. _

_Shrugging Kiba sighed. "All right, Hinata.. we'll see you later."_

_"H-hai!" She smiled, waving at them as they turned to leave. _

_Letting out a breath once they disappeared she pushed herself up, grunting softly from the pain. Glad that no one was around she lifted her shirt up to reveal her stomach. Right where she expected there was a giant red spot. It would soon be turning a dull purple. _

_Wincing she lowered her shirt again, wrapping one arm painfully around her torso. Shino-kun hadn't been holding back since she had demanded that he stop. It felt degrading to have her friends hesitate to fight her with their full power. _

_But then again, out of everyone she knew, they would be the only ones to actually bother fighting her, even if they were giving her a handicap. Others wouldn't even bother. She wasn't worth their time. _

_Gloomy from the realistic thoughts she moved towards the river. She had intended to train, as soon as they vanished from view, but perhaps she would be truthful to her friends and watch the sunset... it really was a beautiful thing at that moment anyway._

_Heaving what seemed to be the millionth sigh she sat down at the river bank, watching the rushing water with curiously far away eyes, leaning her chin lightly on her knee. _

_Her training wasn't getting any better, every day she spent with Shino and Kiba she felt Hanabi's words rest heavier on her shoulders. It was true, too true that her training with them was not helping her that much. It had already been three weeks since her tantrum at the training site on the other side of the village and she felt like she had not improved her fighting style at all. _

_Nothing she did seemed to help, partly because she didnt even know how to pinpoint the problem. It was like she had hit a wall in her progress, and all she could do was ram herself against it's solid brickness until something broke. As of late, only she had broken yet. _

_At the thought, the bruise spreading across her stomach began to throb and she leaned back, flinching with the movement. _

_"I can't keep going like this... Sasuke was right, breaking my body isn't going to help me get stronger." She stared up at the sky, trying to stretch out her body so the bruise wouldn't ache so much. _

_Sasuke had been lingering in the corners of her mind since that incident in the training area so many weeks ago. She had not since him since the latest incident in the flower shop. His temper had left her with a bad taste in her mouth and a shaking fear of his obvious disgust. No, she wouldn't ask him for help... she couldn't._

Demo who else, who else would help me and actually move me forward?

_Hinata shivered, huddling into herself. No, she couldn't ask... couldn't possibly... he already thought she was weak and bothersome-_

Demo...demo he did help, he did stop both times to make sure I was okay... maybe, just maybe, he's not that bad...

_Licking her lips nervously the Hyuuga leaned back, letting herself fall against the roughness of the riverbank. _

_She'd have to think about it. _

* * *

_"What the hell! Dattebayo- Sasuke you baka! That hurt!"_

_"Suck it up." Sasuke muttered boredly, twirling a shuriken on his finger, eyeing the fox infested blonde with a superior gaze. "It's just a scratch.'_

_"Scratches don't GUSH blood! I'm GUSHING BLOOD! Do you bloody hear me, Sasuke-teme!?" Naruto shouted back from across the training arena, ripping off his orange jacket and pressing it hard against his stomach which was in fact gushing blood, as he had stated. _

_Sasuke sighed, irritated by all the shouting. He never could understand that. What was the point of yelling? It didn't make the pain any worse, nor the words to the object of irritation any clearer._

_As a matter of fact, it probably made them more muddied and harder to understand, therefore insulting in a loud voice was pointless and didn't actually satisfy anyone._

_He sighed again, slipping the shuriken into his pouch lazily. "I'm going." He muttered. Naruto glared from across the field, wiping his bloody hands on his blood stained jacket. _

_"Figures, can't bloody take responsibility for anything- dattebayo."_

_"Shut up." Sasuke snapped, eyeing the surrounding area thoughtfully. He had stayed far longer than he had intended. As a matter of fact, well over two hours. He had only come in the hopes of meeting one of the Hyuugas. Initially he had insisted within himself that he was only interested in Neji- because of his powerful Byakugan capabilities and the fact that if riled up enough the genuis might actually pose a good fight. _

_Not that it really mattered- what mattered was that he had been studying the affects of a byakugan user on a sharingan user. If he could only figure out how to block the chakra points like the Hyuuga family he might be able to render the sharingan useless.._

_He could render Itachi's favorite weapon useless..._

_But Neji was an unlikely candidate to help him learn more about the Byakugan, the only other option was of course, his younger cousin. _

_Who he had offered to help with training anyway... but she hadn't come along asking. _Figures, she's too shy. I was right about the offer being useless.

_As if the gods were smirking broadly at him in his idiocy the darkened bushes rustled suddenly. He could hardly see through the darkness. The sun had set just a few minutes ago, and it's orange fingers were still staining the sky, but that wasn't nearly enough light to catch sight of whatever it was that was moving in the shadows. _

_Naruto jumped, blinking at the shivering bush. _

_"What the- dattebayo- what is that?"_

_"Hn." Sasuke replied, descriptive as ever, pulling his shuriken out and flicking it at the bush. _

_A gasp of surprise could be heard and then Hinata of all people fell out of the side of the bush, looking up at her hand, which was trapped against the tree behind her, her sleeve pinned there by the shuriken. _

_"Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried, running over quickly. _

_Sasuke stared, feeling a wave of neaseua hit him. Lucky blow... he usually didn't miss... if he had hit her... hell, the whole of the Hyuuga clan would have-_

_"Gomen! G-gomen... I just didn't want to- I was worried that I would- I'm sorry!" Hinata gasped, tugging at the shuriken with shaking hands. _

_"Are you okay?" Naruto gasped, crouching beside her. Hinata's face was red as an apple as he reached over her and tugged the shuriken out of the tree, finally setting her loose. _

_Then he froze, blinking at her in surprise. _

_"Hinata... what are you wearing?" _

_The girl blinked at the way he was staring at her, feeling the heat in her face take a sudden leap to a higher dimension of warmth. _

_She looked back down hesitantly at the black tunic style shirt and leggings. "Oh- ano, Sakura and Ino-"_

_"Hn." Sasuke scoffed suddenly, making both the other ninjas suddenly remember his existence._

_"What the hell! You just dont throw shuriken like that, teme! You could have hurt her!" Naruto shouted suddenly, realizing he had yet to tell anyone off for Hinata's close call. _

_Sasuke looked indifferently at him. "Baka, what was she doing, sneaking around in the dark with two men training?" _

_Hinata's face coloured a little bit more. Despite it being so dark she was sure they could see it. _

_"Ano- gomen! I was... I was trying to wait until you were finished so that I wouldn't i-interuppt your t-training-"_

_Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's all right, Hinata-chan. Just don't sneak around like that- you might get hurt." He glared at Sasuke at the last bit, earning another impassive glance from the Uchiha. _

_"What was it you wanted?" Sasuke enquired, wondering if anyone would notice his overly talkative character at the moment. Truth be told he was wondering if maybe just maybe she was going to give him the ace he needed to get the power of the Byakugan. _

_"Oh- I-I..." Hinata began, turning another shade of red. "I j-just wanted t-to know if either of you h-had seen Sakura-chan and Ino-"_

_"No." Sasuke replied irritably, walking over to the puzzled looking Naruto and snatching his shuriken. "They've not been around."_

_'Oh." Hinata blinked at him a moment, hands up to her lips. _

_He stared, realizing just how small she was compared to him. She barely came up to his shoulder, and his back was broader than all of her. _

Petite, _he realized, _she's... tiny.

_"Gomen." she added again, bowing her thanks. "Arigato. I'll leave you t-two to t-train then." she mumbled, turning to leave. _

_"Wait." Sasuke snapped suddenly, making her blink at him over her shoulder, looking confused. _

_"How did I miss?" he asked, frowning at the whole in her sleeve. _

_Hinata looked at it took, blinking mildly. "Ano- I-I'm not sure... I think I-I moved..."_

_Naruto smirked, giving Sasuke a look. "She's faster than you."_

_"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away. Hinata blinked at him, confused. "Arigato." she said softly again, turning to trot off into the darkness. _

_"She's cute sometimes." Naruto stated randomly, sounding absent minded as he gathered his things. Sasuke glanced over at him, allowing himself to quirk an eyebrow while the blonde wasn't looking. _

_"Hn." he grunted, then he added. "She's tiny. Should she be walking around alone?' his eyes flickered to the absent minded blonde, waiting patiently for the reaction to come, but it didn't. _

_"Hinata's really good at taking care of herself, she'll be fine.' Naruto replied. _

_"She's still hurt from her training.' Sasuke lied, finally getting the kyubii's attention. "Hm." Naruto admitted, looking in the direction Hinata had gone. _

_"I guess I might as well walk her. She's just looking for Sakura and Ino and I need to see Sakura..." he cocked his head and stuffed the rest of his shuriken in his pouch. "See later, Sasuke teme!"_

_Sasuke followed, at a slightly slower pace. "I need to see Sakura myself." he replied irritably, lying smoothly despite himself. Naruto stared. "For what?"_

Shit.

_"A sleeping remedy."_

_"Can't sleep?" Naruto blinked at him in the dark as they walked along. He knew Sasuke had every reason not to sleep, it made sense. Unknowingly the blonde was being fooled. Sasuke just needed a reason to drag the request of training out of the Hyuuga princess. He desperately needed that Byakugan. _

_"Hn." he replied, neither a yes or a no. Not exactly a lie... and the remedy might actually be of some use. _

_Just as he was replying they turned a corner to see Hinata staring straight up at the heavens right where the stars were, her head thrown back, making her hair fall like a cascade down her back, light skin glowing by the light of the just waking moonlight. _

_The two boys froze, caught off guard by the display of surprising character from the usually shy girl. Goosebumps rose up over Sasuke's skin, he blinked, unsure of how to react._

_"Whoa." Naruto stupidly stated, making the moment vanish into thin air. Hinata turned, startled, surprising both the boys again by her stance, it was almost halfway into battle stance... she truly was fast. _

_"Ano-!" she began, and Sasuke could tell by the voice that she was probably blushing horribly. _

_"Hey... Hinata-chan." Naruto began uncertainly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, for sneaking up on you- hehe, I guess we're even."_

_'Oh! H-hai-!" Hinata stared wide eyed in the dark at them, unsure of what to say. Naruto too was having trouble finding something so in a moment of complete irritation Sasuke grumbled. _

_"Sakura. We need to find Sakura."_

_"Oh!" both the ninja replied. "Right!" Naruto added. "Hinata, we were just going to go looking for Sakura, and it's getting dark... maybe you should just come with and... I dunno." he drifted off, sounding goofy. Sasuke gave him a look in the dark. What a baka. He was being so bloody obvious. _

_Hinata stuttered out sound that might have been complying. Irritated again Sasuke began to walk away, hands in his pockets, no longer willing to wait for them. They would follow. _

_And they did, a few seconds later both the other ninja were running to catch up, Naruto calling after him impatiently, Hinata as silent as ghost. _

_God, it would be an irritating walk. _

* * *

_Sake wasn't good for you, he decided that the moment he put the cup to his lips and drank down the first bit, feeling it burn dully all the way down his throat. The feeling was good, it managed to completely drown out the sound of Sakura, Ino and Naruto talking loudly to his right. Hinata was sitting the closest, by some accident and sad fare of fortune. Sakura had looked like she was going to say something but Ino had jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow. _

_It appeared that no one but Sasuke noticed this, and even he pretended not to, so he let it be. Hinata was quieter than any of them, he preffered her there. _

_And also he had to figure out a way of dragging out that request... _

_The three loud mouths were yelling at each other, Hinata sitting there looking a little red in the cheeks and out of place. Sakura was wearing bright pink and red, Ino was wearing purple and blue, Naruto was wearing orange. Hinata was wearing black. _

_And beside her was a dark blue shadow. _

_"You've been training." He stated suddenly, deciding to go about it as nicely as he could. Hinata jumped and turned to look at him as though she had forgotten he was there. She probably had. It was an interesting feeling. Most girls didn't forget. Meeting one that did was refreshing. _

_"Oh-H-hai, Uchiha-san." she nodded, hands reaching up to her lips already. She was uncertain. He pondered this, obviously he made her feel awkward. Well, it was mutual, it was even harder to talk to someone who didnt talk much than someone who could chatter on like Sakura and Naruto. _

_"How... did you know?' Hinata enquired, surprising him with a question of her own. Sasuke chidded himself. It was a reasonable question. For all she knew he was stalking her, it was the normal thought process of any teenage girl- he figured. _

_"Bruises." he nodded towards her forearms and the bluish yellowing dots all over. _

_Hinata stared down at her own flesh, surprised by what it could tell a watchful eye. "Oh." she stated, unable to think of anything else to say. _

_"How is it going?" he enquired, making his mouth let the words out. It felt like walking through water, the conversation was nearly impossible. He had to push hard. He never had to push hard with girls... they dropped at his feet, for crying out loud. _

_"Ano.. it's.. fine." Hinata mumbled, looking down at her fingers as she pressed them together softly. _

_"They're not helping, Shino and Kiba I mean, huh?" Sasuke smirked, tipping his head back to gulp down another cup of sake. Hinata didn't reply but watched silently as he drank the burning liquid. _

_"How does it taste?" she asked suddenly, making both of them blink in surprise. Sasuke put the cup down, looking at her quizzically. "The sake?"_

_She nodded, eyeing the cup curiously. _

_He studied her a moment before taking the bottle they had left by his side and tipping a small amount into it and offering it to her. "Try it."_

_Silence, long silence for a moment. Sasuke's eyes flickered over her shoulder at the other three who had been arguing only moments before and were now staring at them. Hinata had yet to realize she was being watched and took the cup. _

_Making sure not to let her know about the watching part Sasuke leaned his elbow carelessly against the counter, looking down at his hands as if nothing had changed. _

_Hesitantly the Hyuuga princess put the cup to her lips and sipped it. _

_Sakura and Ino gaped, along with Naruto. The same thought echoing in all of their heads. _

They just shared a cup!!!!!!!!

_Hinata's nose wrinkled in surprise and she let out a soft cough forcing a smirk onto Sasuke's lips as she put the cup down and rubbed her nose and lips with her small hand, eyes shut in surprise. _

_"Ouch." she mumbled. _

_"Hn." He replied, trying not to smirk too broadly in amusement. _

_"Uh..." Ino began, looking over at Naruto, trying to figure out something to say to get the conversation going again. "So I... um..."_

_"I gotta go." Sakura stated suddenly, standing up. Hinata turned, completely unaware of the situation. She had had her back to the others the whole time. _

_"Nani? Sakura-chan... okay... I'll see you tomorrow I guess."_

_"Hai." Sakura replied coldly, slipping out the door. _

_The other four blinked after her, one confused, one bothered and two unsure of what to do. _

_"I should probably be heading home too..." Ino began, gathering her stuff quickly. Naruto blinked at her a moment and then sighed, downing the rest of his juice before standing. "I'll walk you home, it's on the way to your house anyway." he mumbled. _

_Hinata blinked at both of them, feeling suddenly left out. _

_"Oh... uh... bye, Ino-chan, Naruto-kun." The two blondes flashed her quick grins. 'See ya, Hinata-chan." Naruto called, waving at her before following Ino out the door. _

_Hinata stared after them, unsettled and awkward. _

_Sighing she turned back towards the counter, blinking at her hands in confusion, something had happened, obviously and she had missed it. She'd have to ask Sakura-chan about that later..._

_"...I-I should probably head home m-myself." Hinata mumbled, stuttering more than she had the entire time she had been talking to him. _

_Sasuke nodded, tipping the rest of the sake in the cup into his mouth, completely unaware of just having used the same cup as the Hyuuga heir. _

_"I'll walk you home." he mumbled, slipping off the stool. _

_Hinata stared, halfway through strapping her pouch and head protector around her waist. "N-nani? Y-you don't have to... I d-don't live very far from-"_

_"It's fine." he cut in, putting a few coins down for the sake. _

_"Uh... oh, okay." she mumbled, waiting as he gathered his own stuff and followed her out the door. _

_"Are they helping then?" he asked again as they started to walk. It felt different walking with her now that she wasn't on his back. Hinata blinked at the ground. _

_"Kiba-kun and Shino-kun?"_

_"Hn." he replied, eyeing her thoughtfully. Her hands were fiddling with her sleeves. _

_"No... they aren't." _

_"Hn." he said again, stuffing his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to ask. _

_She didn't. _

Shit.

_"What are you going to do?" he asked, digging around for his last strands of patience. _

_Hinata eyed his shoes walking beside her. What was he trying to do? This felt like an interrogation, but he had offered to walk her home. She couldn't figure him out. It was one of the most horrible situations she had been in. _

_"I-I... dont know."_

_"Hm." he said, biting the inside of her cheek. She wasn't going to ask, maybe she had even forgotten that he had offered to help witht he training in the first place. That wasn't unlikely, it had just been a passing comment and he hadn't been too happy about it anyway. _

_"I could help." he stated again, wondering if he really could. He didn't even know what kind of training problems she was having. _

_Hinata started, turning to look at him in surprise. "...ano- hai?" _

_He nodded, looking away, trying to figure out suddenly what kind of problems she could have and if he could use them to get the Byakugan abilities out of her- or at the very least learn the style of gentle fist. _

_"M-maybe.. you could." she stuttered, watching him curiously. She hadn't been strong enough to ask, that would have been terrifying, he might have turned her down flat out, but he was the one asking then maybe it wouldn't be so bad and she could consider it. _

_"Ano... c-could you?" she enquired again. _

_Sasuke almost let out a sigh of relief. Christ, that had taken a long time. _

_"Sure. Tomorrow?" he stopped in front of the Hyuuga Estate gates. Hinata nodded. _

_"Training site at dawn, then." he added, pondering just how he could figure out what her problems were. Not that it mattered, that wasn't the point of the situation. _

_Hinata smiled, a rare occurence he figured, having never seen it before. "Arigato, Uchiha-san." she mumbled, bowing her thanks. "Bye."_

_Sasuke nodded again. "Sure." he mumbled, unable to ignore just a twang of vibrating in his chest. _

_She smiled again as she straightened and pushed through the gates, disappearing without another word. He frowned at the closed gates, clenching his fists in his pockets. For some reason he felt like calling her back and telling her the whole thing was off. He couldn't train her. _

_But he decided not to. He really needed that Byakugan- maybe just to get his conscience to shut up he'd help a little bit... if he could. _

_For all he knew she was hopeless. _

_Shrugging his tense shoulders he moved off into the darkness. Hopefully he would be able to wake without a serious hangover from all the sake again. _

_He was hopeless.

* * *

_

There is the next chapter! Rough draft, good draft soon to come

Read! Review!

-inky


	5. Filler 1: Ramen

You guys are all awesome, thanks a ton for each review. I'm reading them all, and they keep me going quite well.

I just had an interesting situation at lunch (i'm in school right now, free block ) and i found it hilarious. So I thought I would make a short little filler.

I hope you guys dont mind. I'm still working on the real stuff at home, it's in process, no worries, lol.

Hope you enjoy!

-Ink

* * *

_Training was hard... impossible, a nasty sense in the back of his head, even though when he was training he generally loved. It felt good to run, to sprint through wild forests and simply 'know' that there were few out there that could simply defeat him. _

_Very few._

_Except for that tree branch up ahead..._

WHAM!

_Naruto fell, like a stone from the sky, though in reality he was just falling from the tree he had been sprinting on right back to it's roots where Sasuke was leaning, watching the comically sad situation with a smirk. _

_"You baka." he sighed as Naruto hit the ground with a hard thud and made clouds of dust rise in result. _

_"Nnu nnnngg." was the smart reply that escaped from the dusty mess. Slowly a twitching hand rose from the hole that the impact had created and Naruto's head, crowed with a large red bump managed to peek out. _

_"DAMN! Why didn't you TELL me the tree branch was there! Dattebayo!" He shouted, curling into a small ball while hugging his throughly sore head. _

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Baka." he muttered irritably, though the comment went unheard as Naruto fidgeted irritably, trying to rub his sore head into submission. _

_"I'm going to eat." Sasuke stated, turning and beginning to head back out of the woods. Naruto blinked. He had never in his entire life heard the angsty avenger say that. _

_"You're going to eat?" he muttered, blinking, shoving himself to his feet as quickly as he could. "What are you eating?" He had forgotten the pain of his head in moments. _

_"Food." Sasuke snapped dryly. _

_"I didn't see you bring a lunch!" Naruto cried, running after him and finally catching up. Sasuke pulled from somewhere in his shirt a small white baggy. Under the assumption that there was food inside at all there would also be an assumption that there wasn't a lot of it. _

_"You're like... a mouse." Naruto laughed. "That's hardly enough food."_

_"You're like a bottomless pit." Sasuke replied calmly, taking a seat in the outskirts of the little forest they had been using as their training area. _

_Naruto plopped down right beside him, digging around his pack for his beloved ramen- which he had put in a thermo for the sake of keeping it's sweetness nice and hot._

_"Mmmm." he hummed, pulling the black object out and staring at it like it was a treasure chest. "THIS is food."_

_"It's under cooked straw." Sasuke retorted, pulling a small carefully packaged sushi bit out of his baggy. _

_"Whatever." Naruto smirked, plopping his hand down on the thermo and moving to open it. _

_Sasuke watched out of the corner of his eye, chewing his sushi thoughtfully. The grunts and groans from the blonde were hardly appetizing. _

_"DATTEBAYO!!" screamed Naruto finally after a good two minutes of struggling. He was almost sweating for christ's sake. _

_"It won't OPEN!!"_

_"I noticed." Sasuke muttered, stretching out his hand, just to get him to shut the hell up he'd open the damned thing. Couldn't an avenger eat in peace, just once? Was that too much to ask?_

_"HMPH!" Naruto grunted, slamming the thing into his hand irritably. "Let's see you do it, Sasuke-teme."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes, fitting his hand around the thermo lid carefully before moving to turn. _

_...and continuing to try..._

_...and try..._

_"nani-what the hell..." he began, glaring at the thing. Naruto began to laugh loudly, rolling backwards against his perspective tree. _

_"Damn, that's funny."_

_"You couldn't open it? Yes, it was funny to watch." Sasuke retorted thinly, tossing the thing back. "At least I get to eat though."_

_That silenced the blonde in two seconds. _

_"That's not fair... I can't believe I can't open it."_

_"Baka." Sasuke replied, letting out a sigh before taking another bite out of his sushi. _

_Suddenly there was the sound of a cry, a girl's voice yelling "HEY!" and both the boys turned to see Ino and Sakura running towards them from the other side of the field that was linning the forest. _

_"HEY!" Naruto yelled back excitedly. "Sakura can open it! She's strong enough to break a wall in half!"_

_"Hn." Sasuke replied, obviously uninterested, though his ego was feeling the bruise of being unable to open the damned thing. _

_"Here!" Naruto cried as soon as the two girls were near enough. The thermo was roughly shoved into Sakura's hands. "Open it."_

_"Nanda? That's no fair, you baka! I just got here and you're already-"_

_"PLEASE!" Naruto wailed. "It's got my RAMEN."_

_"Guh." Sakura grumped, wrapping her hands around the lid irritably. "You're such a baka." She turned the lid. _

_And froze. _

_"Nani?" she whispered, staring at the stupid thermo with surprise. Frowning she bit her lip and heaved, pulling as hard as she could. _

_Ino and Naruto cocked an eyebrow at her, watching as the struggle between thermo and ninja continued. Sakura hopped around, struggling with the object, looking like she was going to turn bright red from the strain. _

_"Uh... Sakura-chan.." Naruto began. _

_"Shss!" the girl snapped, pulling at her, trying to fit her fingers around it's rim. _

_Ino rolled her eyes. "Give it here." she snatched the thing, earning a glare from Sakura. Sighing she tapped the thing against Naruto's tree, and then moved to open it, pulling harder than she thought she really needed to. _

_And it didn't budge. _

_"Nani?!?"_

_Sasuke sighed, irritated by the sound._

_Sakura had sat by him, trying to recover her energy. "That thing is like... a rock."_

_"Much like Naruto's head." Ino replied, still struggling with the odd object. Naruto sat down by Sakura, looking beat, lip pouting. _

_"But my ramen..." he whimpered, making both Sasuke and Sakura twitch. _

_"Hey... where's Hinata?" He brightened up suddenly. _

_Sweatdrops passed all around, except for Ino who was still fighting with the thermo. _

_"She's coming- right there." Sakura nodded towards the field where Hinata was indeed walking, carrying a small basket in her hands. _

_"Hi." she mumbled, blushing furiously as she approached, glancing over at Ino who was almost wrestling with the thermo. _

_"Yo." Sasuke replied. _

_"Hey! Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned. _

_"Wh-what is Ino-chan... doing?" HInata enquired, glancing nervously towards the right at the blonde, grunting and groaning as she faught. _

_"Trying to open his thermo." Sakura grumped, glancing over at Naruto with an evil look. "It's stuck."_

_"It's got my ramen in it!" Naruto half sobbed, looking miserable right before his stomach made a loud noise. The three other ninja blinked at him. _

_"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away. _

_"Mm... Maybe I can try?" Hinata blinked, glancing over at Ino who was sitting on the ground, the thermo in her lap, panting. _

_"You'll never get it." Ino gasped, struggling for air as she handed the thing over. "Sakura couldn't do it."_

_"Or Sasuke." Naruto muttered. _

_"Or you." Sakura snapped at him. _

_Hinata blinked at the thermo, eyeing it's slick black material thoughtfully. "How strange."_

_She fit her hand along it's lid, sliding her smooth fingers over it. The others weren't really paying attention. All of them were trying to get the feeling back into their sore fingers. _

Pop!

_All eyes turned to Hinata, who had the lid in one hand and the thermo in the other, steam rising from inside. The smell of ramen invaded the area in seconds. _

_"NANI?!?!" all four ninja cried, jumping to their feet. _

_Hinata blinked at them, and their crowding bodies, and the fact that they were all talking at once asking her how the hell she had opened the godforsaken piece of rubbish._

_"I-I..." she blinked and then shrugged. "I dunno."_

_The four ninja's sweat dropped and plopped back down, Sasuke included. Naruto had his thermo in hand, fork ready to tear into it's lovely contents. _

_"Arigato, Hinata-chan!" he grinned, beginning his descend into the noodles. Hinata nodded and sat down, smiling. _

_None of them noticed the smug look on her face._

_After all... all you really have to do to open the thing, is press the little lock underneath._

_But no one needed to know that._

* * *

_Hehe, just a little half humorous thing. I hope you all liked. I wrote it in like.. fifteen minutes Oo_

_Anyway, no spell check or grammar check or anything, forgive all those. And yes... that actually did happen to me. I couldn't get into my soup..._

_tear tear. _

_But then one of my friends suddenly opened the stupid thing. Now i have buy him lunch, lol. Anyway. have a lovely day. And i shall update as soon as possible. _

_-Inky_


	6. Chp 4: Gentle Fist

Yo, good reviewers

Um... this is a horrible chapter, i'm warning you all now. I wrote a first draft and it was crap, so i rewrote it, and then... i closed the window without saving.

I was really, really mad.

Anyway, this is the third, very forced, very unreliable draft, which will probably be rewritten sometime when i reread it and get ticked off enough to rip it to shreds. (i've actually done that, lol, printed it out just to rip it- knowing full well that it's STILL on the net.)

anywho, i figured you all deserved something to go on at least, but this one sucks, so i just,... ugh, i'm sorry, lol. it's also a bit of a crappy cliffhanger, but... meh. read at your own risk Xx

you wont enjoy.

-ink

* * *

Running, running, she was always running. The darkness of the forest was suffocating, slipping down her throat like liquor. Gasping she ripped through the thorns and the vines that reached for her and ached to trip her, make her fall. 

Unexpectedly she hit the ground; something had finally managed to grab hold of her ankle. Sobbing she rolled into herself, the pain of air being shoved out her was incredible, her whole torso was throbbing painfully.

But that didn't matter, her mind was still focused on running, on getting away somehow, but her body wouldn't function, not under the strain of so much pain.

There was blood, on her face and her hands, and bruises, surely something was broken. She couldn't even think.

But she could remember, flashes of very recent memory rolling through the clouds of utter agony. How _they _had abandoned her... how _he _had appeared, shoved her away, told her to run...

And there it was. The scream, the scream she knew would come. It always did, and it always made her feel the same horrible agonized panic as before. She knew in the darkness there was a pair of eyes watching, and the thought of them made her want to shriek, hold herself and pretend the world didn't exist.

Sobbing she pushed herself up to her elbow and strained to move towards the sound of the scream... she knew that voice, it was _his _voice.

"NO!"

_Gasping Hinata sat up sharply, her hands throwing off the blankets rapidly. She almost rolled out of the bed, but managed not to, straining to regain control of her heaving breaths and the drum beat that was her heart raging in her ears. _

_Breathless she lowered herself back against the blankets and pillows, looking around dazedly at the brightly lit bedroom. Outside there was snow falling in great big snowflakes. _

_The window was open, something that didn't happen very often in her bedroom, mainly at night. It caused her dreams to be more powerful, more believable, for some reason. _

_Licking her dry lips she struggled over to the window right above the side of her bed and moved to close the curtains, but stopped, looking up at the bright orb that was the moon shinning between the twinkling snowflakes. _

_It was February, so it made sense that it would be snowing, but the snow had come and gone already, it was surprising to be seeing it there all of a sudden again. _

_Her mind settled back into it's calm state, pushing away the yearning to examine her dream. No, she didn't need to think about that... there was something else she was forgetting. It was almost dawn, perhaps in an hour the sun would be up in the sky, so then why was she so worried._

I'm forgetting something, I'm certain of it... but what...

_With a gasp her eyes widened and she tripped her way out of the bed, stumbling over to her closet in a hurry. _

_Training! She had forgotten about training! With Uchiha-san! How could she have forgotten? _

_Should she bring lunch with her- goodness, should she maybe bring two? What if Sasuke didn't? What if he didn't expect to take a lunch break? Could she even eat anything right in the morning feeling that ill? _

_Already wanting to throw up from the nervousness she knelt by her closet, fiddling with the clothing in the darkness. _

_What in the name of all the gods had she gotten herself into? She must have been more drunk on that sip of sake than she had realized! Sasuke Uchiha... training Hinata Hyuuga? There were a thousand reasons why that was not only weird, but wrong- or at least harmful. Her father would have a fit- actually Neji would have a fit, most of her friends would and what if Sakura..._

_No, she couldn't train with Uchiha Sasuke; she had to get there quickly and apologize profusely and attempt to make him realize the absurdity of the situation. What had ever possessed her to think it was okay in the first place?_

_Her fingers stumbled over each other as she shoved her shirt over her head, glancing around for her sweater before remembering that Sakura and Ino had managed to throw it away somewhere. Sighing heavily she examined the rows of unused clothing that filled most of her wardrobe. Hanabi too had tried to loosen up her ways of dressing several times and no one had prevailed. _

_Until they took her sweater away. _

_Grumbling in a very uncharacteristic manner about how unfair it was she finally pulled out a loose black knit turtle neck and threw it over her mesh shirt, fiddling with the wraps around her thighs and forearms as she headed out the door. _

_"Guh!" she gasped softly, blinking and stumbling down the hall anyway, trying for the love of god to hurry up. Absently she slipped into the empty kitchen, glancing around to find the empty cup of tea that Neji had probably had right before leaving to train on his own or with Tenten somewhere in the darkness of the woods. That was their favorite spot. _

_Not that he would ever admit such a thing. _

_Sighing she looked around, wondering just what to do. Maybe in apology she could take Uchiha-san a good lunch. She wasn't a bad cook, and seeing as she was just ditching him..._

_Biting her lip she began to undo the bandages wrapped around her arms, getting ready for the most intense fifteen minutes of cooking she would ever see in her life_

Oh, I hope he doesn't get upset with me...

* * *

You are such an idiot, such a complete idiot... 

_Sasuke stared at himself in the mirror, leaning shirtless over his sink. What in the name of all the gods had given him the idea that he could get the style of gentle fist from Hinata Hyuuga? _

_The girl was hopeless, she probably didn't know enough about it herself- he should have gone to Neji in the first place. He couldn't deal with someone so slow and so bloody shy. He was not the one that did the talking, that was the rule. But with her it was like he had no other option, she couldn't pull out more than three short sentences without fainting in a puddle of flushed goo. _

_Irritated with himself he dipped his head back into the cold water in the sink, feeling it's bite with some sort of odd satisfaction. _

_No, he would have to tell her that he couldn't train her, not at all. It didn't make any sense. He couldn't help someone at her level anyway. She wasn't good enough to even get help from a professional teacher like Kurenai why the hell did she think he could help?_

_Not that he hadn't pushed for her to think that he could... _

_Damned!_

_Silently the Uchiha heir moved about his room, pulling out the first random shirt he could find. It didn't really matter, all of his clothing matched. White, black, and navy blue. And the white was rare, so rare it wasn't even considered part of his wardrobe really. _

_Shaking out his wet hair he stumbled down the stairs to the middle floor where the Sakura tree sat in the darkness of the predawn morning, smelling of it's cherry blossoms. _

_The smell usually irritated him. The last thing he wanted was to wake up and get smacked around the face by a cloud of perfume. _

_But it felt good that early in the day, when he wasn't quite awake. It made the house feel less cold and utterly silent. _

_Rotating his sore shoulders he glanced at the kitchen, knowing full well that there was not a single thing there fit to eat. That didn't matter though. Shrugging to himself he pushed his way out the door and began his gentle trot towards the training site, wondering just how he'd tell the Hyuuga girl that he couldn't train her, without making her burst into tears. _

_That, would just be messy..._

* * *

_The sun was already halfway through being born again, it's orb was white, unlike the usual bright orange. _

_It was just the snow, covering it as it rose up. It's large fat flakes swirling as the wind blew._

_Hinata sat with her back against the trunk of the willow tree that reached furthest into the training area, in her lap were two small bags of white cloth. The lunches she hoped would patch things up between herself and the Uchiha, whom she was terrified would be insulted by her sudden desire not to train. _

_Or what had been a small desire not to train. Sitting there in the cold of the snow with the sun rising she wasn't so sure. Facing things she didn't want to do was part of training, part of being stronger. And he had offered to help, the genius of her class had offered to help her get stronger. Her father would probably be upset, but even more so if she quit in front of the Uchiha…_

_Rubbing her nose she sighed, uncertain as to what to do, dazed slightly by the brightness of the morning as the sun began to reflect itself off the millions of crystals that were falling from the sky, causing the sheer white of the oddly winter morning to blind her slightly. _

_Squinting, she rubbed her cold nose, trying to get it to feel something more than utter numbness. _

_Humming quietly to herself she swung her feet, biting the inside of her cheek nervously and straining not to glance around again. It was dawn... she had expected him to be the most punctual person on the planet- actually she had worried that 'she' would be late from having to cook so quickly..._

_"Hn, if I had wanted, I could have killed you." Sasuke's voice suddenly cut in from below. _

_Hinata blinked down at him, startled. "Oh! Ah- h-hai! Good morning, Uchiha-san."_

_"Stop calling me that." he muttered, making her shrink into herself slightly in confusion. "Nani..?" _

_"It's so formal. I don't call you Hyuuga-sama." he continued to grumble before sitting down at the roots of the tree. Hinata remained still, unsure of what to do.Truth be told... he never said her name, so she didn't know exactly 'what' he called her. Hesitantly she pushed herself to her feet on the tree and jumped down, landing softly nearby, bags in hand. _

_"Gomen... um... w-what should I call you then?" she mumbled, trying to see his face in the darkness, but the sun wasn't high enough yet. Sasuke shrugged. "Dunno."_

_"Oh... uh... Sasuke-san?" she blinked, struggling to find something with which to please him. He was hard to keep happy- or at least hard to keep from grumbling. Most people weren't like that, she wasn't used to it. _

_Except for her father... he was like that._

_"Still too formal." He sighed, sounding bored. "How about just Sasuke?"_

_She blinked again, uncomfortable with the first name thing. "Sasuke-kun?"_

_"Sure."_

_"Okay." her eyes lowered down to the bags in her lap and she bit her lip, worried that just maybe it would be taken badly. _

_"Uh... Uchi-er... Sasuke-kun. I... I didn't know if you would ano, have time t-to make lunch so I- well I just thought that... " she blinked again. _

_"Um... I made lunch... y-you don't have to take it if you don't want though! I'm a horrible cook and-"_

_Sasuke stared at her a moment, surprised and feeling vaguely miserable. She had made lunch... and she as apologizing for it._

_He couldn't help but want to smirk, it was irritably cute. _

_But damn it, now she was making it hard for him to let her off easy. He couldn't just take the bloody thing and suddenly say that he wasn't going to train her- but if he said he didn't want it she would probably burst into tears anyway._

_A long string of curses followed this thought and Sasuke sat in silence, blinking at Hinata as though he didn't know what to say. Luckily that happened to be the truth. _

_Hinata on the other hand panicked, realizing in his head he was trying to figure out why she would make lunch and the possibility of him getting the wrong idea was very likely-_

_"Ano!" she gasped. "I-I well, I had extra t-time and I-" the lie didn't sit right. He eyed her again, blinking thoughtfully at her attempts to explain away something, though he didn't have a clue what. _

_"No, it's fine... I didn't think I would be eating today."_

_Hinata almost flinched, expecting a rejection and receiving none. The idea was almost more horrible. How could she suddenly tell him that she didn't want his help when he had been so graceful in accepting her possibly misinterpreted peace offering. _

_Thoughts of confusion were rolling around in her head as she sat silently, blushing and looking down at her hands clenching her knees. _

_"So, what are you struggling with anyway?' Sasuke finally enquired, feeling defeated. Maybe he could tell her that they wouldn't train tomorrow... he could lie, say that something had come up. A mission or something. _

_He frowned inwardly at himself, surprised by his sudden kindness towards the girl. Had it been Sakura, Ino or even Tenten he probably would have just dropped the bomb and told him he was no longer interested, but truth be told, she just seemed to be different. _

_They would have possibly had underlining ideas behind training, she didn't. _

_He started. _Hell... "I" am the one with underlining ideas. She just wants to train, and here am I ready to rip her off for her gentle fist...

_"Ano- I..." Hinata fidgeted, trying to get the words out, but finding it hard. Now what could she do? The gift had only made him think she wanted him around more than before. Hinata wasn't one to swear, as a matter of fact curses rarely left her mouth and if for some reason she did happen to let one slip it was because she was under intense physical, emotional, mental strain... or all of the above rolled into one, but right there she wanted to let something like a swear word out. It might make her feel better._

_"...I'm not sure." she found herself saying, surprised with her own decision. The results of it would be nasty..._

_"Well, let's see." He muttered, dusting his hands off on his pants. He glanced around in the dim light until he found the training posts. The one she had cracked was still there, traces of her blood were still on it's once smooth surface._

_His eyes flickered to her fists, bandages were rolled form her knuckles up to her forearms. _

_"Are those healed?"_

_"Ano? Oh, hai." she nodded rapidly. "Sakura-chan... she insisted on the bandages. When I train, at least."_

_Sasuke almost scoffed, but managed not to, letting out a "Hn." of acknowledgement instead. "You use gentle fist, correct?" he almost kicked himself. Sneaky selfish bastard that he was. Still he walked towards the posts, leaving the lunches behind. Hinata followed quietly a few steps behind, eyeing the posts with distaste. Gentle fist did little damage to things without organs. _

_"H-hai... demo, it won't do anything to those posts...They don't have organs for me to target and I-"_

_"You need to target organs at all times?" He enquired suddenly, turning to look at her in surprise. Hinata blinked at him, noticing quickly his curiousity for the gentle fist. "H-hai... organs and chakra points."_

_"Can you seal eyes?" he asked rather bluntly, ready to get it all over with. Maybe if he helped her a little after finding the information he needed he wouldn't feel so bad about it. _

_Hinata stared at him a moment, eyes flickering to meet his onyx orbs for half a second, making the connection like any other girl with brains would have. _

_He was surprised... Sakura and Ino wouldn't have noticed the connection at all. _

_"I could s-seal your Sharingan, maybe." she admitted slowly. Sasuke blinked, surprised again by the boldness. This girl truly wasn't what he had thought she was. "Okay. Do it."_

_Hinata's eyes widened. "N-nani? But- why?" she trembled out, hands up to her lips in surprise. _

_"Because." He muttered, resisting to roll his eyes at her reaction. "I want to see if you can."_

_"But I- what if I-"_

_"Do it."_

_Hinata jumped slightly, even though he hadn't really raised his voice at all. "H-hai..."_

_These sort of moments were the exact reason she had hesitated to let him train her. Goodness, her face was going to melt off..._

_Slowly she lowered herself into the fighting stance for the gentle fist, uncomfortable with him just standing there ready to receive the blows. _

_"C-can we... can we spar?" she enquired, beating herself over the head. The very thing she didn't want to do was spar, and yet here she was asking for it. "M-maybe I won't feel s-so bad i-if-"_

_He blinked and then smirked. _

_Smart girl indeed. Slowly he lowered himself into a fighting stance as well. "Fine. Go."_

_Hinata gasped in surprise, realizing that the Go had not been for her, but for him, like a gun out of the barrel he was going at her, his speed making her head swim. _

_But byakugan eyes aren't anything less to the sharingan. _

_With a gasp she side stepped, flipping her fingers through the motions to open her blood line limit. His eyes were already red- he hadn't even bothered to wait. _

_"Byakugan!" Hinata gasped, flinching as he moved forward rapidly to hit her. _

_But her byakugan had opened, her eyes were seeing more than just his expression of surprise, they were seeing the glowing points rimming his eyes. _

_Biting her lip she shoved forward, rather than away as his punch came in, missing her by a few inches as she bent her knees, her fingers tapping gently the sides of his face._

_But he was still the faster of the two. _

_The surprise of having two of his chakra points shut down wasn't enough to keep him from grabbing her around the waist and forcing a kunai to her throat. _

_Eyes wide, byakugan disappearing Hinata stood there, panting heavily from strain of pushing her limits, in those few seconds he had still managed to prove he was the faster and more capable one. _

_Her heart fell, a few inches more than it had before. This was going to be hard work... _

_"A-ano.." she began, shivering from having him still be so close. _

_"Shuddup. Do you know why I was able to win this?"_

_Some emotion moved inside of her, like a cat turning in it's sleep, irritated by having been prodded in it's slumber, but it didn't wake. _

_"...N-no..." she stuttered, wishing he would just let go of her and get on with it. _

_"You weren't trying."_

_The cat in her chest shifted again, uttering a grumble. _

_"I-I was-"_

_"No. You weren't even pushing your normal speed limit, and that's pretty slow anyway."_

_The cat cracked open one eye. "T-that's why I'm training. To get better." Her voice was thin, but soft still. _

_He let go rapidly, blinking in surprise. She had sounded almost irritated. Hm, perhaps he had to consider his way of speaking more with this one..._

_"Hn." he commented as she rubbed the place on her throat that had felt the touch of the kunai. He had still managed not to cut through the high black turtle neck. _

_"So, your speed is lacking." He eyed her body thoughtfully, watching her squirm in the dawn light, snowflakes landing on her hair as she blinked at him, catching her breath. _

_His mind however was on something else. His sharingan was sealed now, already he had tried twice to open it and it hadn't come forth. The gentle fist was indeed the tool he needed. Now he just need to figure out how to do exactly what she had done. _

_He needed to learn the gentle fist. _

_"You'll have to wear weights." he muttered, crossing his arms. She was small, and no, muscle wouldn't do anything, so they didn't have to think about that. What she needed to do was improve her speed first, and accuracy too, though that had been pretty good. _

_"You'll have to wear them all the time."_

_Hinata stared at him in surprise. "Weights... w-well... what kind?" _

_"Sand, first." he muttered, rotating his shoulders as he walked towards her. "Probably copper second." He smirked for half a second as she flinched. _

_"Possibly lead third. "_

_The girl stared at her hands then. "That... will be heavy."_

_"You should be able to use it to your advantage when you take them off."_

_"L-lee-kun, he used this training technique, yes?" she enquired, running her fingers over her lips, making the words muffled. Sasuke heard anyway and shrugged. "I wouldn't know."_

_"Oh-h-hai... you were..."_

_"Was this during the Chuunin exams?" his eyes darkened slightly. Hinata paled, realizing she had hit a sore spot. It was no secret the things that had happened during those exams so many years ago. _

_"Ano... h-hai."_

_"Hn. Undo whatever you did to my eyes." he muttered, stopping right in front of her despite the voice in his head that said she would panic at his proximity. _

_Surprising him again the girl just nodded and reached up rapidly to tap just in front of either temple. _

_Immediately the chakra began to flow and his eyes turned crimson. "S-so...what do I-" Hinata began, taking a step back, looking lost._

_"Spar." he replied, lowering himself to a fighting stance. "It's just an evaluation." he added, noting her nervous expression. "I need to know what you can do."_

_He couldn't believe it, he was actually serious about training this little princess. _

_Hinata however just nodded, lowering herself into a fighting stance. "Oh- h-hai."_

_"Go."_

* * *

_Hard panting, squirming, unable to breathe...Christ, it was so hot... and yet there was the snow, right up to her face where she had hit the ground for the second time. Feeling miserable again she pushed herself up, flinching as her whole body throbbed painfully. _

_The only comfort was that Sasuke was panting just as hard as she was. He had had to strain to keep her off that time, at least a little bit. _

_Still catching her breath she pushed herself slowly up to her feet, struggling despite herself. "I-I... Ano... Uchi-er...Sasuke-kun I-c-can't-"_

_"Let's take a break." He cut in quickly, saving her the humiliation of asking for one. Her shoulders dropped in relief as she followed him. The snow was still going, and had been falling for the last four hours, all of which he had forced her to continue through, pushing her harder than either Shino or Kiba ever had, even when she had asked them. _

_Her doubts about this working was fading, but her fear of whether or not she'd be able to do it was growing. Tomorrow would undoubtedly be the same and she didn't know if she could handle that sort of strain day to day- with weights no less. _

_The idea was making her want to shrivel up into a little ball. _

_Sasuke stopped by the willow tree, pushing through it's frozen tendrils to get to the lunches hidden by it's trunk. "Let's see your hands." He added, sitting down with a sigh. _

_Hinata flinched but obeyed, crouching beside him, her eyes to the ground. Without much thought to it being awkward he took one of her hands and began to undo the bandages, frowning at the already bruised and sometimes ripped skin. _

_"You don't train with contact often." he pointed out bluntly, sounding vaguely irritated. Hinata just blushed horribly. It was true, she used gentle fist more than anything else. When she had been younger she had used contact training, thinking it would strengthn her but when it didn't she stopped. Bloody hands were not something her father wanted to see every time she came back from training. _

_"You're going to have to use it more." He sighed, standing. "But first I need those healed, you won't be able to do much if you can't even clench your fist without feeling pain during training." _

_Hinata stared at him as he stood, looking amazingly small from his standing point. "But... they'll take forever to-"_

_"We'll go see Sakura." he put in quickly, bending down to dust snow off her lunch bag before tossing it to her. Hinata made a soft 'eep' sound as she caught it, struggling to her feet to follow his path through the snow. "I thought you were a medical nin." he added. _

_Truth was, he couldn't stand the quiet any more, not with her. She hadn't said more than three sentences since they had begun. Odd as it was, Naruto and Sakura's constant babbling had filled the silence whenever they trained, it had felt better. _

_"Ano... w-will Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun b-be up now?" Hinata blinked, glancing at the sky and because of the snow unable to read the time. She knew it had been a while, but she didn't even know when she had left her house._

_"Should be." Sasuke replied, trying to be slightly more talkative and failing miserably._

_"Hai." Hinata mumbled, walking just a little bit behind him. The silence stretched out ahead of them, like the untouched banks of snow that covered the ground they would have to walk over. _

_Irritated by it's obviously awkward tone Sasuke glanced over at Hinata, who happened to have glanced at him at that exact time. _

_Blushing furiously Hinata lowered her eyes to the ground, noting that Sasuke had not looked away still. _

_"Why do you need to train again?" He asked, suddenly irritated by this girl trying to get stronger when she couldn't even look at a person without blushing furiously. _

_"Nani?" Hinata stuttered, eyes flickering off the ground to his face for half a second. _

_"You don't seem motivated." he muttered, sounding both bored and bothered at once. Hinata's face burned a little more, her eyes widening on the ground. _

_"...Gomen."_

_"That's not the point."_

_Hinata didn't reply. She knew that wasn't the point._

_"...I am not sure I want it." she mumbled, rubbing her fingers over her lips nervously at speaking her thoughts outloud. This was the first time it had ever been said to someone else. _

_Sasuke stopped, frowning at her. "Your title as heir?"_

_"Hai." Hinata stopped as well, refusing to look at him for fear of seeing the disgust there. Sasuke eyed her thoughtfully, stuffing his hands in his pockets. _

_"Then do it for yourself." he turned away, starting to walk again against the flurry of snowflakes and wind. _

_"Getting pushed around will stop if you would just make it." He grumbled, rotating his shoulders. He'd never in his life met a pushover. _

_"I don't get pushed around." Hinata mumbled, following after him quickly. "I-I don't like making people angry is all-"_

_"You shouldn't care."_

_"Demo...w-why not?"_

_"Why should you?" he turned and stopped, looking at her for an answer. Hinata blinked at him, puzzled and slightly irritated, something she wasn't used to. _

_"...I care about people. That's all."_

_Surprised, Sasuke shifted his weight, trying to find something to say back that would make sense. But for some reason Hinata Hyuuga had a way of saying things that made it sound like the conversation had ended. _

_"Hn." he said lamely, turning to continue their walk. Hinata smiled, noting that she had perhaps changed his perspective or at least inspired him to look closer at his own decision. _

_Or, at the very least... she had confused him. _

_Suddenly in a far lighter mood than before she followed after him, a bit quicker than before. _

_Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. _

_...if only she had known. _


	7. Chp 5: Of Things Not Said

Hey everyone,

So I'm back and this chapter sucks as bad as the last- HOWEVER. the NEXT one is good. cuz i wrote it all in one sitting and that's how i write best.

so you all have a lovely day and leave a review.

-Ink

* * *

It's so quiet... _Hinata looked around dazedly at the snow covered village, wide eyed and confused. It wasn't even halfway through the month of February, so it wasn't so rare that the snow would be falling, but... there was so much of it. It was almost spring too! _

_The thing she loved most about the snow was the silence it could bring, a comforting silence. Blinking rapidly as the flakes fell on her lashes she looked up, watching one land tentatively on her nose. _

_"Hm." she hummed, smiling despite herself as it melted against her skin. _

_Sasuke was standing a little ways away, looking at the footprints that were surrounding the front door of the ramen shop-which was still closed. _

_But he could recognize those tracks anywhere. There were two of them, one smaller than the other, and the smaller one had managed to chuck the bigger one into the snow. _

_Sakura had hit Naruto for some reason... as usual. _

_"They were here." He muttered, standing and then freezing at the sight of Hinata staring up at the white sky, eyes closed. _

_...she did that a lot. _

_He didn't say anything, but waited, stuffing his hands into his pockets, confused as to what to do. No girl acted like that around him. He never struggled with gaining their attention- hell he usually struggled with getting rid of it. _

_Finally Hinata cracked one eye open lazily, blinking at him. "P-perhaps they went to train?"_

_"Not without breakfast." he replied, glad that the silence was broken. Hinata almost laughed, muffling the sound with her gloved hands. Naruto leaving without breakfast to do something just seemed impossible. _

_"I can find them." she said suddenly, rolling her shoulders and lifting her hands to unlock her Byakugan. Sasuke didn't reply but watched as the veins began to form around her eyes before she opened then again, focusing to a point in the distance. _

_Silence reigned for a second as she scanned the area, looking quietly with a puzzled expression on her face. "Mm!" she hummed suddenly, making him turn to look at her thoughtfully. _

_"They are walking towards Sakura-chan's house, I think..." she began, sounding mildly put out. "M-maybe we should leave them-"_

_"Come." Sasuke muttered irritably, not caring that the girl was trying to give his two team mates room. He knew, like everyone else that Hinata was absolutely in love with the baka. It was irritating to watch her mood begin to drop just because he was walking with Sakura. _

_Girl trouble was annoying. _

_But it served her right. What kind of a crazy lunatic fell in love with someone like the teme Naruto? _

_"Demo- Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan- t-they might want to b-be-"_

_"Just come." Sasuke sighed, sounding impatient. Hinata slammed her mouth shut and followed quickly, wondering if she was supposed to apologize or not. _

_"They're just going to get breakfast anyway." he added after a moment, hiding half his face behind the high neck of his shirt. Hinata nodded rapidly, eyes wide, trying not to blush too hard. _

_"They don't need to be alone or anything." Sasuke continued, trying to get her to realize it didn't mean anything to Sakura and that Naruto was still being as much a dobe as ever. _

_Hinata kept nodding, confused. _Is he trying to convince me...or himself? _She almost gasped. _What if he likes Sakura-chan?!

_Sasuke blinked at her suddenly shocked expression, totally confused. _What the hell? Did I say something?

_"A-ano... Sasuke-kun...Sakura-chan doesn't- er... I mean... she's never agreed to go with Naruto-kun anywhere..." Hinata began uncertainly, blinking at him, trying for a change, to soothe his nervousness. "Like... out, on a d-d-date, I mean."_

_Sasuke's brows knit together in confusion. '...uh...hai- exactly."_

_Hinata's expression brightened and she looked away, walking along happily. Sasuke just blinked at her in confusion, not understanding what the heck was going on. _

She's so weird...

_They continued their walk, Hinata examining for the most part the large trees covered in snow, and trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue without Sasuke noticing._

_Impossible, of course, seeng as he was watching curiously and a little puzzled._

_Of all the people... he had nnot planned to spend his friday morning with someone like Hinata Hyuuga- who until recentl he had been sure that he could understand, but had never bothered because she was just...a wallflower._

_He blinked in surprise as she stepped up beside him, pointing up ahead shyly. "Sakura-chan's house is right there."_

_"...hai." he replied, resisting the urge to quirk an eyebrow, but the tone of voice said it all. Hinata stared at him. "D-did you know where it was already?"_

_"...she used to be my team mate." he stated, it was self explanatory, he figured. Hinata on the other hand turned another shade of red and blinked at him confusedly, but didn't ask. Sasuke shook his head when she ran on ahead, feeling more awkward and out of place by the minute. _

_Where in the hell had this girl grown up in? A hole somewhere? Of course he bloody knew where Sakura's house was. Actually that was the safest place to be when the crowd of fangirls went on rampage during Valentine's Day-_

_He stopped walking suddenly, listening dully to the sound of Hinata's elbow against Sakura's door. Her hands were so sore she had probably decided not to use the conventional method. _

_Valentine's Day... he had forgotten that it was February- albeit it was still early February, so maybe just maybe he had time to prepare- time to find a reason to leave the village before the godforsaken day came along..._

_"Hinata!" Sakura's voice rang out sharply, snapping Sasuke out of his daze just because it was threatening. _

_No one really understood how disheartening Valentine's Day truly was. Someone had once told him that the time you ever felt truly alone was when you were in a crowd. _

_All year long he avoided thinking of that day. It was the day that his admirers came out to adore him, and he had to stand and watch trying to dispassionately rip their hopes to shreds, just to survive the day. _

_It was that day that he truly felt alone... that one day..._

_"Sasuke-kun?" He looked back, meeting Hinata's pale lavender eyes with his own, surprised to see her standing right in front of him. When had she snuck up on him like that?_

_"Nani?" he asked coldly, moving to walk by her. She followed quickly, snow crunching oddly under her weight as she trailed at his elbow. _

_"A-are you o-okay, Sasuke-k-kun?" she blinked as they walked up the stairs towards a confused looking Sakura and Naruto. _

_"Fine." he muttered, vaguely irritated, glancing over at her quizzically. Hinata blinked back at him in surprise and lowered her gaze, stopping a step lower when they reached Sakura's front door. _

_Naruto and her stood there, mouths slightly open to let out questions that never actually came out. _

_"W-" Sakura began. _

_"Hn. I forgot to get a sleeping remedy last night." Sasuke cut in quickly, stuffing his hands in his pockets on the way. "And she needs her fists healed."_

_Hinata looked up and smiled weakly at Sakura, turning a bright red shade as Naruto stuttered out a "H-hi-hinata-chan?"_

_"...Hi...Naruto-kun."_

_"We- I mean... Hinata is an able med nin... so I-" Sakura began, giving her friend an odd look. Hinata blinked at her in surprise, feeling the icy touch of that glance. _

_"She can't heal herself. And, she didn't have the remedy done. You mentioned it once in practice." Sasuke interuptted, having caught sight of that half glare that Hinata was fidgeting about. _

_He tried not to frown too openly about it. Of all the people to give Hinata a hard time he somehow had hoped that Sakura would be mature enough not to...even if she was still oddly obessed. _

_"Right." Sakura chirped suddenly, flinging Naruto into the house and opening the door wider. "Come on in."_

_"Ouch- Sakura-chan." Naruto grumbled, rubbing his shoulder where he had hit the wall in her foyer. "That was a harsh shove."_

_"Well you weren't moving." Sakura replied thinly storming past and into the darkened living room. _

_Hinata and Sasuke stood still at the front door, both hesitating to enter for very different reasons. "Well." Sasuke muttered impatiently, giving Hinata a look that clearly stated 'go in'._

_Nodding rapidly in emberrassement Hinata stepped in, tapping the snow off her boots before sitting by the step inside to pull them off hurriedly. _

_Naruto looked obviously back and forth between Hinata and Sasuke, giving him a questioning look. _

_Sasuke managed not to glare... too badly before shrugging and following the young Hyuuga inside. _

* * *

_"You're what?" Naruto blinked, watching as Sakura caught one of the bottles of some sort of odd smelling liquid as it fell from her hands. _

_"Trainning her." Sasuke glared, giving the blonde a glare before glancing over at Sakura and adding a look too. _

_Sakura's back however was to him as she stared rather intently at the bottle in her hands. Hinata was sitting closest, watching with clever byakugan eyes as her friend's hands tightened rapidly around the bottle, threatening to break it's delicate glass. _

_A crack creeped along the edge of the container suddenly, making Hinata jump to her feet quickly."Ano! Sakura-chan...l-let me-"_

_"No. I'm fine." Sakura smiled politely, walking over and placing the dripping bottle on the table. "I almost dropped it, must have hit one of the shelves."_

_"...h-hai." Hinata nodded, willing herself to believe it. _

_"So... you're trainning Hinata-chan." Naruto said again, letting out a low whistle. "Heh.' his eyes flickered around for something to look at. "...er... how...how's that going?"_

_"She needs weights." Sasuke replied simply, watching Sakura come back with another bottle to pour the dripping liquid into. _

_"Weights?" Sakura muttered, her voice forcefully cheerful. "What for?"_

_Sasuke didn't reply but looked over at Hinata pointedly, making her turn another undiscovered shade of red. "Oh- ano- t-to improve m-my speed."_

_"She's fast as it is." Naruto put in, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. _

_"She can improve." Sasuke replied just as cooly._

_"Here." Sakura stated suddenly, stretching her hand out to Hinata, who hesitated for a moment before giving her the sore and bruised fists._

_A little rougher that usual Sakura undid the bandages, her fingers moving quickly through each motion. Hinata refused to look, staring directly at the table with confused panicked eyes. She had done something to make Sakura-chan upset... it was so obvious. If only Sasuke and Naruto would leave so she could ask..._

_"You can't be hurting yourself like this on a regular basis." Sakura muttered, her hands beginning to heat up with chakra. "I can't heal them all the time."_

_"H-hai!" Hinata nodded feverishly. "I understand."_

_Sasuke just continued to watch, arms crossed, brow furrowed. He would have to turn this into something good for him... the discomfort shown by Sakura could be problematic in the future, but he could deal with it if he managed to get a good deal out of..._

Valentine's Day.

_His eyes widened as he stared at the Hyuuga in front of him, biting her lip and fidgeting under his obvious stare. _

_She was the key... the key to keep all those idiot fangirls away- including Sakura. It didn't mean he had to make her believe they were going out, he just had to be away with her somewhere and they would hopefully back off. _

_Hm. Perhaps the Hyuuga heir had more uses than he had initially thought..._

* * *

_"B-bye! Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun..." Hinata waved from the street. The two ninja's waved back half heartedly before Sakura closed the door. _

_Hinata let her hands fall to her sides, fidgeting with her scarf, biting her lip painfully. They were so upset with her and they wouldn't say why. She didn't even know exactly what it was that bothered them._

_She sighed, rubbing her fingers over her sore lip. Maybe training with Uchiha-san had been a bad idea after all..._

_"What are you staring at?" Sasuke called impatiently, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. "We've got to find training weights."_

_Hinata spun around, blushing furiously as she trotted after him. "Oh- hai! Gomen.."_

_"Let's go." he muttered irritably, starting down the vaguely deserted street. There were more footsteps everywhere, which was comforting. At least they weren't the only people out. Hopefully some of the better training shops would be open. It wasn't very early anymore. _

_"Ano... w-where would we get weights?" Hinata stuttered, walking one step behind him. For a moment she tried to step in his footprints, then stopped, realizing his stride was a lot longer than hers. _

_"I know places." Sasuke replied, as usual forcing out more words than he usually would for the sake of keeping the conversation going. _

_"Oh. Hai." Hinata nodded, looking around at the still village, trying to ignore the worry nagging at the back of her mind. Sakura and Naruto were two of her best friends... it was discomforting to know they were upset with her for some reason. _

_"Let's go." Sasuke muttered, deciding not to ask about her vaguely pained look. He didn't want to know. _

* * *

_It was dusk by the time she was home. The weights were uncomfortable and made her look bulky, but she didn't mind. It would eventually get better. Sasuke didn't say whether she should wear them to sleep or not, but she figured not. That'd be a little awkward..._

_Stepping in the door she was met with Neji's intense glare. "Where have you been?"_

_Hinata blinked, blushing. "Nani? I... training-"_

_"Shino and Kiba came by asking for you."_

_"Oh- n-not with them... I forgot to tell them." she sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "Gomen. I forgot to tell everyone."_

_"You're training on your own now?" Neji frowned, letting his crossed arms fall to his sides. Hinata's eyes shifted. Sasuke had mentioned not wanting anyone to know he was training her. _

_He hadn't mentioned why and she had not asked. "Hai." she lied, looking up at him, blushing. Neji frowned slightly. _

_"I see."_

_"...I should...sleep."Hinata muttered, ripping off her shoes and stumbling up the stairs. Things would be very difficult from now on._


	8. Chp 6: Smelling Good

Darling Reviewers! The GOOD chapter, lol. Have fun reading, please leave a message.

Set about a week after their first lesson.

* * *

_Getting tired of being a lone was something she had gotten used to over the past few years. It was something she had come to understand as being part of her fate. Not that she agreed with Neji completely on how fate described who you were going to be and dictated how you would become. _

_No, she didn't agree with that. She knew she could change, if she was strong enough for herself. But by all the god's she knew, she couldn't understand where that strength was supposed to come from. _

_It was an odd concept, one that she had dared not speak to anyone, ever. Neji did not know she thought of herself that way, as a matter of fact no one did, not even her best friends. _

_Only at night, while being alone in her room, speaking quietly to a picture of her mother would she ever really speak of what it was that had happened in the last few days and her true thoughts upon it, because mother didn't mind. _

_Mother had always said to be herself, and only herself. _

"Hinata should be Hinata, and everyone else should do the same… It's the nature we all fight."

_Sometimes during those nights she would sob, and scream and curse, but quietly. It was like an oxymoron. She was being herself while containing herself in a bubble so that others wouldn't notice. _

_Simply because being herself would make them flinch. No one wanted to know that the quiet one in the shadows stuttering through life could be more than just quiet and shy. No one wanted to know that she could be angry and spiteful and vicious. _

_And selfish._

_It was one of those nights again. They came every few months, usually they came after something was happening and she had gotten tired of pretending it wasn't. It hadn't been a few months since her troubles with her father, Hanabi and her friends had begun. But the strain on her mind seemed enough to engulf her in that misery that made her explode. _

_Silently she sat by the window in her room, staring out to the moon and the way it's soft tendrils of light filtered through the curtains and lit up the simple chamber. _

_No one at home had spoken to her, as was usual. Neji had looked at her long and hard after she came back from training with Sasuke. She wouldn't be able to keep it hidden for long. Eventually he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to use his Byakugan to follow her to the training site and then there would be no choice but the beg that he didn't tell anyone. _

_Not that it mattered to her. She didn't think that there was any good reason not to let everyone know. But Sasuke seemed to think there was. She shivered, feeling that fist in her stomach clench, whispers of anger and frustration rolling around in her head. _

_Her suspicion was that the proud Uchiha heir did not want to have his flawless reputation tainted by the idea of being associated with someone as incapable as herself, despite his attempts to help her. _

_Though that left her confused as to why he would want to offer his services. It was pointless if he was ashamed of it. _

_Frowning she leaned her forehead against the window sill, hands clenching slowly. "…Okasan, I can't figure it out. Do you think he's using me for something? What could I possible be useful for?" her voice wavered for a moment as the words cut through her mind. It was a mutilation she had been addicted to for some time. Like others who brutally cut their flesh, she cut the only thing that would keep others from knowing. Herself, her very core. She cut it with words and thoughts. It felt less satisfying with each day, and yet she continued, a ritual of pain. _

"_I wish that I could just… get stronger, beat Hanabi so forcefully in the battle we'll be fighting that even the Elders will be forced to nod their self indulged heads in acknowledgement that I am heir… and then, just because they nodded, I would decline the title." Her hands clenched tighter as the words slipped through her lips, sounding heavily laden with anger. _

_A hot pain shot up her arm, and she looked down at the half moons her nails had caused, filling rapidly with blood. _

"_Damn it." She whimpered, sounding ironically like herself. The voice as Hinata's again, and yet the words were not. _

_For a moment her eyes filled with uncontainable tears, spilling down her face and falling onto her palm to mix with the bright blood, stinging as the wounds were washed with salty liquid. _

_Angrily she clenched her fist again, frustrated with her own pathetic mutilation. Without warning her fist slammed forcefully against the wall. _

_The moment her fist punched through it's shocking soft material she froze, staring at the debris on her covers, covering her pj's in dust._

_Footsteps started from down the hall and she scrambled out of bed, tripping over herself, just catching her balance as the door flung open to reveal Neji and Hanabi, both looking startled and concerned. _

"_Hinata-hime!" Neji gasped, looking around the room and finding the hole expertly. "What happened?"_

"_I- ano… I don't…" Hinata stuttered, glancing back and forth between the whole and their confused startled eyes. "I didn't… I'm not sure…"_

"_Hinata.." Hanabi whimpered, her hands clenching by her sides. "Are you okay?"_

"_Yes! I'm fine! I just-" she began, startled as her younger sister walked over rapidly, reaching for her wrist. _

_Hinata snatched it away, surprising both the ninja. Her fist was hidden by her shirt's long sleeves and Hinata held it to her chest, flinching away from their concerned gazes. _

"_What is going on?" Neji whispered, walking over to the hole by her bedside, his eyes studying the penetration. He frowned, turning slowly to look at her, a new expression on his face._

_Hinata grew pale at the expression. _

_It was…calculating. _

"_Since when are you capable of punching through walls?" Hanabi snapped, surprising her and snatching her hand roughly. _

_Hinata gasped, trying to pull away gently, but Hanabi's grip was stronger. Small fingers peeled back her sleeve to reveal a severely bruised fist. _

"…_Hinata-hime…" Neji whispered, staring at the damaged flesh. "What's the matter?"_

"_I was just… playing around with c-chakra." Hinata lied, watching their concerned expression fluxuate between surprise and disbelief. "I didn't think it would do that!"_

"_Are you training with Sakura-san?" Hanabi enquired, looking puzzled as she dropped her hand. _

_Hinata flinched at Neji's daring look. "No, I- well, I saw her and I thought-"_

"_Don't do it again." Neji sighed, nodding towards Hanabi to get out of the room. "You're not strong enough for that."_

_The moment the words were out of his mouth everyone froze. Hinata stared at him, mouth open slightly, words caught hanging in silence between them. _

How dare you? How dare- why? Why would you tell me that?! Why does everyone-

"_No! He didn't mean it like that!" Hanabi gasped, pushing past Neji to reach for Hinata's hand._

_Her older sister flinched, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "No-stop." She murmured softly, her voice more steady than either of them had ever heard. Neji stood frozen by the doorway, uncertain as to what to do. Even an apology wouldn't fix the fact that he had said those words._

_And worse, it wouldn't erase the fact that he believed them._

_Slowly she turned to stare at the hole in the wall, and then back down at her wrist, and the damaged fist._

"_I-I'm okay." She murmured, staring at the moon again through the window. "I need to sleep, g-goodnight." _

_Hanabi hesitated, looking worriedly between her cousin and her sister. Neji swallowed and stepped back into the hallway, turning around and walking silently away. _

"…_he really… didn't mean to-" Hanabi began, turning to look back at her sister. _

"_Stop it." Hinata whimpered, covering her face with her hands. "Gomen, Hanabi-chan, please… just let me…just let me be alone… okay?" she gasped between odd sobs of contained rage and pain. _

_It wasn't the moment to be hearing those words from someone she trusted. Not the moment at all… _

_Any other day she would have looked down shamefully and accepted it, but after hours of torturing herself, silently beating away at herself… hearing it from someone else's lips was like a dagger to her throat. It was taking all her restraint not to fall on the floor sobbing._

"_H-hai… Hinata-chan." Hanabi murmured softly, looking pained. "All right." Sighing she turned and left, closing the door as quietly behind her as she could, only to stand still outside and stare at it, wondering just what her sister was doing within. _

_As soon as the door closed Hinata moved forward, not caring if someone out there could still hear. Roughly, more so than she had ever done she flung open the window feeling the blast of cold air burst in. The snow from a week ago had yet to melt, but she didn't care._

_Rapidly she walked over to her closet; grabbing the first item of clothing and shoes there she began to dress, her hands shaking with the contained emotion. She couldn't even name it. From anger, to sadness, to self pity and a deep hunger to inflict damage to 'something', the range was huge and it didn't really matter. _

_What mattered was that she get out of there. _

_Dressed and shivering, but not from the cold she climbed onto the window sill, ignoring Hanabi's voice calling from the other side of the door. She paused for a moment before grabbing the picture of her mother and giving it a soft kiss. _

"_I'll be back, Okasan." She let it drop back onto her bed and jumped, falling two floors to land on the solid branch of a willow tree, looking up to see Hanabi's shocked face. _

"_Hinata! Wait!" _

"_I'll be back.' Hinata sighed, turning and jumping down from the tree, landing at a crouch on the ground. "Don't worry."_

_Biting her lip she took off at a run, using the wall surrounding the compound and a boulder by it to get over the fence in a few minutes. _

_Hanabi just sighed, running her hands through her hair worriedly. "Hinata-chan…"_

* * *

"_I don't even know why I come here." Sasuke grumbled, tipping the bottle of sake and watching it empty into his cup. "You're so annoying."_

"_Ya love me anyway, teme." Naruto grunted. He had indulged himself to a cup of sake as well, and just as Sasuke had expected the blonde couldn't hold his liquor. Pink cheeked and glittery eyed, the future Hokage was tittering in his seat, giggling too much and taking insults as if they were nothing. _

"_You know, there's a reason you don't drink." Sasuke muttered, a bit tipsy himself. It always annoyed him to hear reports of just how much he talked when he was a little drunk. His tongue would just loosen and he'd sound like a normal person. _

_Since when did Uchiha Sasuke sound like a normal person and feel proud of it? Certainly not right then, and never in the future. _

_Or that's what he always thought when he heard about it the next morning while struggling with a mild hangover. While drinking however, he didn't give a damn… mostly. _

"_So." Naruto began, making it sound like what he was going to say was a big deal. Sasuke made it a point to ignore him. Nothing that blonde said while sane, let alone drunk was a big deal. "What is going on with Hinata-chan, eh?" he grinned wolfishly, making Sasuke involuntarily look at him in surprise. _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, you two seem to be spendin' an awful lot of time together, ya know?" _

"_I'm training her, is all."_

"_Valentine's Day is coming up…" Naruto continued, as if hearing nothing he said. He elbowed the Avenger lightly, making sake spill all over his hands. "If you're not taking her, I thought I might ask her out, if you don't mind."_

_Sasuke stared at the blonde, an odd feeling starting at the base of his chest. "Come again?"_

_Naruto smirked. "She's cute as hell, ya know? But I'll back off if you've got dibs."_

"_You're drunk, I don't think you know what you're saying." Sasuke began, straining from sounding defensive. _

"_The hell." Naruto grumbled, leaning to put his chin on the counter, eyes half closed. "I've ignored her forever, 'cause I've been trying to get Sakura, but ya know what… Sakura's not all that."_

"_You're so drunk." Sasuke stated again, moving to stand and feeling the ground shake oddly under his feet he sat back down, frowning. _

Just how much sake did I take?

"_You're lucky. You coulda had both of them." Naruto continued, irritably. "Sakura's all over you all the time, and now Hinata-"_

"_She's not." Sasuke snapped, giving him a look of irritation. Just the idea that someone would think of her like that was irritating. She hadn't done anything of the sort. _

"_So I can ask her out then?" Naruto enquired, laying his head down on the counter to look at him. _

"_No." Sasuke replied smoothly, eyeing the empty sake bottle and wondering if he should ask for another one._

"_No?" Naruto blinked, trying to process the answer, which he had evidently not been prepared for. "Why the hell not?"_

"_Uhh…" Sasuke began and then stopped, scolding himself mentally for using such a stupid sound lacking in all logic. It wasn't even a word, for crying out loud. _

"_You don't like her, do you?" Naruto started, sitting up and regretting it immediately because of the pain. _

"_No!" Sasuke snapped, feeling a headache coming on from thinking so much with so much sake in his system. "What the hell is this, and anbu interrogation?"_

"_Why can't I ask her out then?" Naruto grumped, rubbing between his brows in an effort to get the pain to fade. _

"…_she'll be distracted from her training." Sasuke finally managed to say, sounding a bit like he was lying despite the fact that it was the truth. Mostly. _

"_It's Valentine's Day- you're gonna train her on Valentine's Day?" Naruto enquired, finally opening his eyes despite the light. Sasuke stared at him. There was a reason why he was doing that, he was sure. But at that moment with the sake running through his veins he couldn't remember why. _

_Something to do with getting away though…_

"_Eh." He said and then hit his head in a rare show of frustration, for using yet another useless sound. "I have to go."_

"_You're so cold hearted, Valentine's Day is pretty much 'girl' day." Naruto called as the Uchiha managed to get to his feet and towards the door. "You should give her a break!"_

"_No." Sasuke replied, opening the door and getting a full slap of cold air across the face. Oh the walk home would be _long.

"_Why not?!"_

"_Cuz I bloody want her with me, do you care?" Sasuke finally snapped irritably. Naruto stared at him confusedly for a moment. "You want her with you?" he asked, blinking. _

_Sasuke sighed. "Dobe." He grumped, slamming the door closed on his way out. _

_He had intended on 'walking' home, but ended up stumbling there for the most part, and tripping. 'The' Uchiha Sasuke tripped. Albeit, he caught his balance and managed to keep walking, but still. _

_Uchiha Sasuke did not trip. _

_He was halfway home when he started to throw up by the bushes and he was a quarter of the way there when he reached the training area._

_Even in his more than half drunk state he could recognize the sounds of fists against wood and cries of frustration. It was a familiar sound, one he had grown up listening to. It was the sounds he heard when his own frustration and anger became too much to handle and had to be expelled in some sort of physical way. _

"_What the-" he muttered, recognizing the voice but unable to think of who it was. _

"_Why? Why, goddamnit, why am I always-" Hinata cried, not crying anymore, just hitting the wood again and again, just like that one night…_

_Her weights were on, just as Sasuke had instructed, but they weren't the sand ones. As a result the movements were sloppy at the beginning of the night when she first started, but her anger was enough to fuel her tired muscles into being adequate, into breaking through the pain. _

_Sasuke climbed over the bush he had just puked by and stopped, looking down at the center of the training field where none other than Hinata Hyuuga stood, beating the crap out of one of the training posts. _

_He leaned for a moment against one of the nearby trees, breathing in an out tiredly. Every time he swore he'd never drink again. Every time he went back, and every time he went through hell. _

"_Such a loser." He grumbled, running a hand through his hair. _

_Hinata's sensitive ears heard the low tenor tones and froze, hands in position to strike. Faster than either of them had expected with the weights on she turned, flinging a kunai directly at the intoxicated Sasuke. _

_Shocked Sasuke stepped clumsily to the side, feeling the bite of the kunai against the flesh of his forearm. With a thump he fell back against the tree he had been leaning against, staring at the knife that had him pinned mainly by his shirt sleeve to the tree. There was blood seeping into the off white fabric. He stared at it dully, trying to grasp the situation before the girl, like all other fangirls, began screaming. _

_Surprising him again, Hinata ran up, looking wide eyed at the blood and his confused expression. _

"_G-Gomen!" she gasped, burying her face in her hands. "I am so s-sorry! I didn't know i-it was you!" she reached for the kunai rapidly but froze as Sasuke's hand snatched hers. "No, don't." he muttered sulkily, letting go of her before grabbing the thing himself and tearing it out of the bark. _

_He frowned, straining against the suction of the bark. Finally it pulled loose and he tossed it in the air, watching her catch it instinctively, moving still a bit clumsily, but not enough for anyone to know there were weights attached to her all over. _

"_What are you doing here?" he muttered, clenching his hand over the bleeding forearm. _

_Hinata ignored him, busying herself with undoing one of the bandages around her thigh, fingers shaking. "Here, l-let m-me…" she started, looking up at him to see him leaning against the tree eyes closed. _

"_Oh hell." He muttered. _

"_W-what's the m-matter-"_

"_I think I'm drunk." He admitted, the alchahol obviously talking for him. He almost laughed, almost. _

"_D-drunk?" Hinata blinked, walking towards him with the bandages in her hands. "W-well.. I-"_

"_You smell good…" Sasuke intended to 'think' that and accidentally said it. Hinata froze for a moment while wrapping the bandage around his bleeding arm. _

"_Uh…er..a-arigato…"_

"_What are you doing here?" He asked quickly, trying to get his brain to bloody work properly. _

"_T-training?" _

"_Like the time you passed out, huh?"_

_Hinata looked up at him, smelling quite clearly now the sake that surrounded the air he inhabited. _

"_A-are you going t-to be a-able to g-get home?" _

"_Hn." He grunted, trying not to think anymore. Forget his brain working properly, he needed sleep..._

_Hinata watched in a panic as he leaned back against the tree again to steady himself, closing his eyes against the brightness of the moon. God, it was like the sun all over again. _

"_Oh dear." She sighed, biting her lip and letting go of his bandaged forearm. "C-come on." She mumbled, hesitating for a second before taking his arm and pulling it over her shoulder. _

"_No, don't." he began, trying to get the words to come out without being too slurred. _

_If she helped him home there was the sickening chance that he'd throw up in front of her and somehow his pride was screaming that he could 'not' take that chance at all, for everyone's sake-_

"_Q-quiet." Hinata muttered, sounding not at all forceful despite her best intentions. It was cute, and in his state he couldn't help but smirk slightly in the dark, trying to hide behind his hair. _

_Damn cute women…_

_Hinata realized suddenly that she didn't actually know where Uchiha-san lived, and though she was supposedly leading it was good that he was the one taking steps and turning where she supposed they needed to turn. _

_It was the 'other' rich side of town, the one that the Hyuugas rarely wandered to. They had their domain on the left, the Uchiha's had ruled on the right and the normal people had always lived within the space between the two families. _

_Now, the balance was off, and somehow it made Hinata feel a little sad. Okasan had said that people didn't get drunk unless they had something they wanted to forget. She glanced up at the pitifully drunk boy hanging off her shoulder and sighed. He probably had a lot he wanted to forget. _

"_It's right there." Sasuke muttered, nodding towards the only dark mansion-looking place on the street. Hinata looked up at it, biting her lip. That place… looked lonely. _

"_Hai.' She murmured, leading him towards the gate and starting up the steps, frowning fitfully at his struggle with them. He had drank more than she had ever noted before. Or maybe she just hadn't realized he drank that much usually. _

"_The door is open." He mumbled when they got to the entrance. Hinata looked up for a moment at the pillars holding up the roof over the doorway and caught sight of the rolling clouds blocking out the moon. _

"_Rain?" she blinked. They had just began to see the snow melt and now rain was going to fall? The weather was being strange._

_Silently she turned to the door and opened it, biting her lip with the strain. Despite his best attempts not to lean on her too much Sasuke was having trouble standing._

_Just as they were stepping in the sound of thunder rolled, rippling through the silence like ripples in a pond. _

_Hinata closed the door with her foot, turning to look at the dark house. It was all dark wood marble and glass. She stared at it, feeling worry begin to gnaw at her stomach. How did Uchiha-san live like this…all alone in the darkness._

"_I need to get to the bathroom." Sasuke said suddenly, too busy trying to keep from throwing up to care about his pride. Hinata nodded and followed his vaguely hurried steps to the washroom. He didn't even wait before leaning into the toilet. _

_Sighing deeply Hinata pushed his hair out of his face, rubbing his tense shoulders. It felt like when Hanabi had been ill with the flu and continued to throw up during the night. With no mother and no nanny Hinata had been left with the unsaid responsibility to care for her younger sister. Even Neji, being a man, had not bothered to get up at night when the youngster needed him the most. _

"_Oh hell." Sasuke sighed one he had finished. Hinata handed him one of the towels hanging from the rack beside him and he wiped his mouth, closing his eyes as he leaned against the cool wall. _

"_Come." Hinata murmured, reaching down to pull him to his feet. In his half drunk state he was easier to be around. It was less likely that she would do something clumsy enough to make her feel bad. After all, he was the one tripping over himself. _

_Without complaint he allowed her to pull him to his feet and followed as she led him to the living room, stopping when she realized she didn't know where to go. _

"_Where's y-your room?' she enquired, looking at his face hidden by strands of dark hair. _

"_Upstairs…"_

"_Let's stay here." Hinata muttered quickly, not wanting to deal with more steps. Quietly she lowered him onto one of the black couches, watching as he leaned back again, closing his eyes again. _

"_I'll be back." She sighed, rolling her sleeves up her arms. Without waiting for him to reply she moved off down one of the many hallways and ended up in the kitchen as expected. Call it woman intuition but a kitchen could never stay hidden from her for long. It wasn't long before she had water boiling for tea, for herself at least. He wasn't about to be allowed to eat or drink anything quite yet. _

_And if it was anything it would be coffee. Strong black coffee. _

"_Hinata?" she turned rapidly walking back to the living room and turning on as many lights as she could find. The place was pitch dark without them. _

"_What's the matter?" she enquired, and then turned off the light as he flung his hands over his eyes. _

"_Ah- gomen." She muttered, blushing just slightly. _

"…_can I have some water?"_

_Hinata blinked at his surprisingly humble question and then smiled. "Hai, just one second." _

_Upon returning however she found to her surprise that the Uchiha heir was already asleep. She stared at him for a moment, the cup of water in her hand and bit her lip. _

"…_he looks…cute." She blinked, rubbing her eyes slightly. _I must be tired…

_She put the cup down on the center table and went up the stairs to get some blankets and pillows. _

_The sound of thunder continued as she headed up the dark stairs and for a second she felt nervous, but then recalled how Uchiha-san didn't live with anyone… and hadn't since he had been quite young. _

_She could handle the dark for a few minutes. _

_It wasn't hard finding his room. Like any other vaguely depressed teenager he had chosen the last one in the row of doors with the biggest window, which was open showing a full blown view of the thunderous sky outside and the rain that had begun to pour sometime after she had stepped in. _

"…_how am I going to go home?" she whispered, putting a hand to her forehead tiredly. She would catch a cold for sure. It was freezing out there. She was surprised that the rain wasn't sleet._

_Sighing she walked over to the bed and pulled the dark and very soft covers off, grabbing a few of the many pillows before heading out the door. She didn't want to intrude in his business so she didn't turn on the light. The less she saw the better, but from what she could see in the dark it looked like his room could have been any room in a hotel. Completely void of character, except for the fact that everything was dark blue and black. _

_Halfway down the stairs she realized that the oddly pleasant smell of soap and pine was coming from his blankets and, in a moment of self indulgence she buried her face in the soft material. _

_It almost made her laugh, the idea that Sasuke-kun smelled like soap. _

_Thankfully Sasuke was still fully knocked out and she could cover him without it being strange. _

_Fitting the pillow under his head was another matter. Biting her lip fitfully she struggled with it for a bit before realizing that the boy who was mostly a man, was so drunk that he wasn't feeling any of her touch anyway. _

_With a bit less care for waking him she put the pillow under his head, stopping to look a him sleeping silently, his chest rising and falling with tiredness. _

_The light of the moon was still the only one in the room as she dared not turn on the electric light for fear of waking him. It was bleaching his skin a pearly white and making his hair look dark as ink against it. _

_The chiseled features of his face were obvious and beautiful. She cocked her head, blushing furiously. _

So that's why Sakura and Ino- stop.

_She blinked, shaking her head to get the thoughts to go away. Biting her lip she turned and began to undo his shoes, pulling the muddy things off and walking off in the direction of the foyer, then to the bathroom to clean up the mess he had made. _

_She needed something to do anyway. _


	9. Chp 7: A Good Day

_It seemed like a good day. _

_It was the sunlight that woke him, it's brightness was streaming in through the curtains, hitting him square in the face. Groggily he pulled the blanket over his head, hiding in the warmth within. _

_He didn't even bother attempting to open his eyes, it would hurt more than it did already. Chirping echoed from outside, a bird's song. He assumed most people would call it sweet so early in the morning to hear a bird song. But he, on the other hand, was wondering if he had good enough aim to throw a kunai at the thing. _

_Still he didn't move, his mind focused completely on getting around the utter pain of the headache. _

_Flinching he pulled the blanket down a bit and started in surprise, finding himself not in his room at all, but in the living room, staring at the wide glass door leading to the courtyard hosting the sakura tree. _

The hell… How did I-

_His eyes shifted rapidly at the sound of a soft sigh coming from the other side of the room and he froze, unable to think of anything else to do but stare. _

_Hinata was curled on the other couch, her hair was loose and spilling like black ink down to touch the floor, leaving only a small peek of her rosy cheek and long lashes to be seen between the tight little knot she had made of herself. _

_Each breath was coming in and out softly, he could only hear it because he was paying utter attention. Piles of weights were beside her and some of her clothes too, he noticed. He felt his fingers fidget. She was using one of his blankets and that made it hard to tell just how much she was actually wearing. _

Oh hell… Neji is going to try to kill me…

_He made to stand up and then stopped, realizing that no, he actually wasn't in the mood to deal with the situation. Reluctantly he lay back down, staring at the pale little bundle of trouble that was sleeping peacefully in his living room. _

_Memory came back slowly of the night before, or at least enough information for him to know how he had gotten home and why she was there. He hoped he wasn't missing any particularly embarrassing piece. _

_Sighing he closed his eyes and hid under the blankets again to block out the disturbingly bright sun, wishing he had the guts to get up for some water, his mouth felt like sandpaper. _

_The damned bird outside gave another long string of obnoxious melody and because he was listening intently he managed to catch the sound of another sigh from the girl and then a yawn._

Damned… she's awake…

_Hinata stretched lazily, like a cat for a moment, scrunching her eyes shut before relaxing into the warmth of her blankets- which smelled particularly nice that morning. Sighing she finally opened her eyes, half curled back in her original position. _

_For a moment the image she saw of a brightly lit but darkly decorated living room made no sense. She wasn't sure how it had come about that she was there, but for some reason she wasn't worried either. The memories came back slowly but surely and she turned her head slightly to look at the other pile of blankets that contained Sasuke-kun. The pile breathed in softly and then back out, allowing her shoulders to relax drastically. _

_Licking her dry lips she sat up, stretching once more. _

_Humming in the silence she grabbed her discarded sweater and slipped it over her head, wondering if he'd want anything other than black coffee and water for breakfast. _

Does Sasuke-kun even eat breakfast?

_Smirking at the realization that the vaguely depressed and arrogant young man probably thought he was too good to eat breakfast, she moved to fold up the blankets she had used, wondering if he'd want them washed too now that she had used them for a night. _

_He seemed the type of person to be picky about those sort of things. _

_Unconsciously humming to herself still she put the pile of blankets and pillows she had used on the couch and straightened out her clothes and hair with her fingers idly, looking around the house with curious Hyuuga eyes. _

_It was prettier than she had realized the night before. The light of the morning gave it a lot of life, albeit it still looked cold, and everything was so obviously masculine that she felt a little out of place._

_Absently she headed down the hall towards the kitchen, pulling her hair into a braid as she walked. _

_It was odd, but being in his house felt more relaxing than being at home where the rules were always changing. Sometimes she was allowed to make her own breakfast, other times she wasn't. _

_At the moment, because Sasuke had no choice but to put up with her for the morning she could probably do whatever she wanted. _

_As soon as she was out of the room Sasuke sat up, flinching at the light but determined to do 'something' though he wasn't at all sure of what. _

_Scanning the room, he caught sight of the neatly folded blankets and pillows, and also a cup of water sitting on the center table, just in reach. _

_Thanking the stars for some sort of miracle he grabbed the thing and downed it, remembering suddenly that he had asked her for it the night before. _

"_Hm." He grunted, struggling to his feet. The smell of coffee was drifting out of the kitchen, along with the soft sound of her humming. _

_It was going to be awkward, he figured. Everything to do with Hinata was awkward, but he'd put up with it for a good cup of coffee._

_He stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, leaning against the door frame, wondering if he should say anything. _

_She had her back to him, searching for something in one of the cupboards. He cocked his head, watching her rummage around inside. Even he didn't know what was in there. It had been ages since he last bothered to cook anything. _

"_Aha." She sighed, coming out from one of the lower cupboards with a toaster. He blinked. He hadn't even known he had that thing. _

_She stood, sliding it onto the counter before turning around and jumping slightly. "Eep!" she gasped, blinking at him._

_For a moment neither ninja could figure out what to say, but Sasuke's lips decided to pull into an involuntary smirk of amusement. _

"_Nani?" He asked, sounding hoarse as he sat down on one of the stools by the island in the middle. _

_Hinata let out a nervous laugh. "I-I didn't h-hear you."_

"_So I see."_

_She fidgeted in front of him for a moment before turning to the cupboard beside her and pulling out a cup. He noticed she didn't have to look for them. _

"_H-how a-are you feeling?" she enquired, filling the cup with the hot liquid. _

_Sasuke rubbed his eyes tiredly, prepared to reply with the very customary "Hn."_

_But then he decided against it. She was there helping, the least he could do was try to speak. _

"…_like I have a hangover." He muttered sarcastically, managing to make her laugh again. Twice in a row, albeit the first had been an accident, still, he was on a roll. _

"_H-here." Hinata muttered, sliding the cup in front of him before turning around to pour hot water into another one for her own tea. _

_Sasuke took the cup with a thankful nod, lifting it to his lips, but not drinking. He knew it was too hot, and also he was watching. _

_Moving with an obvious knowledge of what she was doing she ground down the tea leaves between her hands. He had no idea where she got those, he didn't have tea in the house. _

_But then again, he hadn't known he had a toaster either, so maybe he did. _

_Finally finished she turned around and sat across from him on the island, hands wrapped tightly around the tea cup. _

"_S-sorry, for staying so long… demo, i-it began to rain and I-"_

"_It's fine." He shrugged, glancing out at the bright morning and regretting it immediately. He rubbed his eyes again. "Should I close t-the curtains?" Hinata blinked, already halfway through standing. _

_Sasuke nodded, very irritated by the light. Obviously he had indulged himself to more than he usually did. This hangover was hellish in comparison to his regular ones. _

"_Ano.." she began again, while pulling the dark material across the window and causing the kitchen to be engulfed in shadows. "I-I used s-some of your blankets… I'll wash t-them, if you want."_

"_What? No, don't worry about it." He muttered, looking up at her quickly. What kind of an ass did she think he was? She had helped him home, made him coffee and she thought he'd want her to wash the blankets she used? Deciding to be pointedly nicer he nodded towards the coffee. _

"_Arigato."_

_Hinata blinked, having never heard him say that to anyone let alone herself. "Eh? Oh- it's nothing." She nodded, blushing slightly as she sat back down, looking at the reflection of herself in her tea. _

_For a moment they sat in vaguely comfortable silence, each sipping their preferred morning drink until Sasuke remembered her cousin. _

"_Won't your cousin be panicking about you being missing like last time?" He enquired, quirking an eyebrow slightly at her very peaceful posture. _

_Her shoulder's tensed for half a second as she remembered her cousin and his last tantrum, but then she shrugged, biting the inside of her cheek and looking away. _

"_H-he should b-be old enough to control h-himself." She mumbled, trying to sound irritated but sounding more hurt than not. _

_Sasuke frowned slightly at her response, recalling her furious blows to the training post where he had found her. _

_It wasn't like him to ask, so he didn't. Instead he watched as she downed the rest of her tea quickly. "I-I should go though. My f-father is another matter."_

_Sasuke nodded, no complaints coming out of him at the word 'father'. _

_The thought of talking to the Hyuuga head was enough to get the hair rising on the back of his neck. _

"Oh yeah, Hyuuga-san. Hinata spent the whoooole night at 'my' house. Oh, and did I mention that I was drunk?"

Shit.

_He would probably die a slow painful death as a result. _

_Hinata bowed shortly, putting the cup in the sink on her way out. "We'll skip training today, Sasuke-kun?" she enquired, stopping at the doorway. _

_Sasuke sighed, turning to glance over his shoulder at her. "Hai. I don't think I could teach you how to walk properly let alone attack in my current condition." He admitted, saying for once exactly what was going through his mind. _

_Hinata smiled, giving him a nod. "All right, I'll see you later." She turned and disappeared, missing completely the reaction to the simple absent minded smile. _

_Heat engulfed Sasuke's face for a minute and he wondered if he was sick…a fever? Did fevers suddenly sneak up on your like that?_

_He frowned, reaching to touch his own forehead. Hell, he was warm. Maybe he really was sick._

"_Hm." He muttered, listening to the door closing as Hinata exited the house. He'd have to make sure not to strain himself, at least for the day. Fevers weren't good things. _

_Stretching lazily he took the coffee cup and headed back to the living room to drag the blankets she had used to the laundry room. _

_Aching from all possible joints, he bent down and stopped, breathing in the scent that was laced into the fibers of his favorite blanket. _

_He couldn't put his finger on it, but it wasn't the usual smell. He made a point to make his blankets smell clean, and though this didn't smell 'dirty' per say, it smelled… different. _

_He brought the neatly folded blanket up to his face, frowning as he took in the scent again. _

_Jasmine? _

_And suddenly the embarrassing moment of the night before came back. _

"You smell good…"

"Uh…er..a-arigato…"

_He flinched, wondering if maybe he should… do something? Apologize. Shaking his head he ruffled his own hair and downed the rest of the coffee, flinching at the bitter burning liquid as it went down. _

_He had better things to think about. _

_Like going back to sleep._

_Silently the Uchiha heir grabbed the blanket and headed up the stairs to his room. _

_Jasmine wasn't that bad.

* * *

_

_Hinata sprinted down the steps, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. He made her nervous still. It was obnoxious in a strange way. She didn't really mind it anymore, and he wasn't as scary, really…_

_No, he wasn't scary, but the butterflies didn't go away. They were worse than with Naruto-kun! That was probably because Sasuke's expectations were so much higher._

_She rotated her shoulders as she skipped down the last few steps to the street, looking right and left as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail. _

_The sky was a beautiful blue, and the sounds of birds chirping was the loudest sound echoing along with the cries of children heading to school in herds. She watched, smiling slightly as the rabble of rosy cheeked youngsters turned the corner._

_Feeling lighter than she had in a long time she started her walk back home, hands clasped behind her back, humming quietly. _

_Maybe she would smile at Neji, and tell him it was okay. It wasn't his fault, not really…_

_Biting her lip, but not nervously she almost skipped, but contained herself, for the sake of Hyuuga pride, before starting to trot off in the direction of home. _

_Father was probably worried. _

_It suddenly occurred to her, that he wouldn't be worried if he didn't care, if only a little. _

_Smiling a bit more she sped up a bit. No good daughter would want to worry her father.

* * *

_

_Sakura screamed, throwing her fist forcefully into the ground. Chakra rolled out in waves, shattering through the ground in layers. Pillars of loosened earth rose up all over. Naruto frowned, serious for the first time in days. His hangover was 'not' gone, but training with Sakura tended to shove that to the back of everyone's mind. _

_Grunting he jumped up, scanning the ground for Sakura. Trees were tottering on their loosened roots, tipping over onto the shattered ground. _

_Growling angrily the pink haired fighter shot into the sky, hands flipping through jutsu motions rapidly. Flickering out of sight she appeared again…x3._

_Naruto threw his weight backwards, missed by the three kunai by inches. "Damned." He grunted, blocking a solid hit by one of the fake Sakura's. Irritably he threw his own kick into the stomach of the other pink haired girl, watching the two copies explode into logs. _

_He stared at them, hearing Sakura's cry of power start behind the logs. Gasping he ducked, watching the logs splinter into a thousand pieces as Sakura punched through them both. _

_Grunting from the effort he grabbed hold of her ankle and pulled hard, sending her flying to the ground. _

_Together they hit, sending dust and dirt everywhere. _

_Groaning could be heard dully, and as the dust cleared, Sakura's hand reached up to pull herself out of the dent they had made in the ground. _

"_Ugh…" she sighed, rubbing her head. Letting out a bothered breath she turned to look over at Naruto, who was sitting up holding his own head too. "Gah." He gasped. "Dattebayo."_

"_You didn't have to catch me." She mumbled, extending her hand down to him. _

"_I'm a guy." He grumbled, accepting the offer. "Kinda supposed to."_

"_Sasuke wouldn't." Sakura muttered, pulling him to his feet. Naruto didn't say anything. There were a thousand and one things to say, but for everyone's sake, including his own skull he would withold all comments. _

_Two bruises in less than a few minutes was too much for even the future hokage to handle. _

_"How's your hangover now?" Sakura smirked, watching the blonde suddenly become aware of the bright light and the chirping birds._

_"Uuuugh. Don't ask." Naruto grumbled, rubbing his face tiredly. "I knew there was a reason why I didn't drink, but I couldn't remember why."_

_"Heh." Sakura smirked, giving him a soft pat on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get some coffee."_

_"Love to." _

_The two ninja began to walk away from the disaster they had caused, each rubbing respective 'owies' as they walked. The comfortable silence continued on as they stepped back onto the road heading towards the middle of town. Any coffee shop would do. All they needed to tell the cook was to make it extra dark coffee. _

_"So how've you been?" Naruto enquired finally, giving Sakura a sideways look. "You've been awfully distant the last few weeks." _

_Sakura flinched, shrugging slightly. "Eh... fine. Just busy."_

_"Because Hinata has been skipping work?" _

_"Tsunade-sama doesn't seem to mind." Sakura muttered, sounding bothered. "She says Hinata spoke to her about the special situation regarding her skipping work..."_

_"Her training?" _

_"Hai." Sakura ran a hand through her short hair. "I'm a little upset."_

_"Why?" Naruto blinked, surprised by the revelation. "Hinata's situation is a little special."_

_"She's always had so much attention, from everyone- even when she was weak, at least there was attention there, people focusing on her, expecting more of her." Sakura sighed, rubbing her arm gently. "She's always depressed about it and there are others out there who would give anything to have people pushing them that far."_

_Naruto frowned, watching the expression on his friend's face turn ever more sour. "But Hinata's not only been in the spotlight for good things, Sakura... She's had it pretty rough."_

_"I know!" Sakura snapped, turning to face him violently. "I know that! But I just-"_

_"Don't understand why she had to pick Sasuke, huh?"_

_The simple statement made the pink haired ninja freeze, staring at Naruto with wide eyes. Never in her life did she expect him of all people to catch on so fast. _

_"...hai."_

_Naruto smirked, giving a soft shrug. "You and me both."_

_Sakura blinked, watching his blue eyes shift away towards the side, unwilling to look her in the face. She cocked her head slightly, frowning. _

_"Did you like her... Naruto?"_

_"Hehe." Naruto chuckled, turning to look at her, rubbing his neck. "Not 'till she wasn't around."_

_"...she's never said she's interested in Sasuke though." Sakura put in rapidly, feeling something like panic start at the base of her throat. _

_Naruto shrugged. "Hai, I know that. It's not like Hinata to say something though, is it?" _

_Sakura stared, realizing it was the truth. "Yeah... you're right."_

_"It's only been two weeks though. Maybe we're just paranoid because neither of them have been around. I mean... Sasuke's more or less my training partner, and Hinata is-"_

_"Mine." Sakura nodded, complying to his words, for both their sakes. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe... we're just panicking."_

_"Right." Naruto smirked, looking up at the bright blue sky. No one would have guessed that just yesterday snow was melting and then the rain was pouring. February was being weird. _

_"Anyway. Coffee." he stated, rubbing his sore head. _

_"Right!" Sakura grinned. "let's go!" cheering up instantly the med nin grabbed Naruto's hand and started running, dragging him along for the ride. _

_They turned a corner rapidly to step into one of the busy streets of the village, determined to find a cafe only to run head long into someone else in a hurry. _

_With a loud collection of 'oomphs!' the three ninja's fell backwards on their bottoms. Hinata sat up sharply, grimacing. _

_"G-gomen! Gomen nosai!" she gasped, squinting through the pain at Naruto and Sakura who were both blinking at her. _

_Both their heads were too hard to feel much of the pain anymore. _

_"Hinata-chan!" Sakura cried, standing up and starting to haul her to her feet. _

_"Eh!" Hinata gasped as she was forcefully pulled up. "Hi-"_

_"Where are you going?" Naruto began and then stopped, looking her over thoughtfully. "And where have you been? You look like you just woke up!"_

_"Naruto!" Sakura called, tempted to give him a thump on the head. _

_"Well she does!" Naruto flinched away. _

_"Hehe." Hinata grinned, still rubbing the growing bump on her own head. "I-I did j-just wake up, gomen, I wasn't paying a-attention to w-where I was g-going and I-I-"_

_"Hinata!"_

_Blinking the girl turned around to see Neji shoving through people, heading in her direction rapidly. _

_"Oh d-dear."_

_"Where have you been?!" he cried, stopping just in front of her, blocking Sakura and Naruto from view quickly, they took a step back, wide eyed and confused. _

_"Well- I-I was-" Hinata began, and stopped, feeling his grip on her arm as he started to drag her away. _

_"Your father is furious!" he snapped, pulling roughly, not because he was angry but because he was worried to death. His uncle had been up most of the night, sending out searches for his daughter, furious that she had left and uneasy about whether she was coming back at all. _

_"Neji-kun-" Hinata began. _

_"-Hanabi's been trying not to cry since you left. She was worried you wouldn't come back-"_

_"Neji!"_

_"Why did you leave like that? None of what I said was true, I was just worried and I-"_

_"Neji!!" Hinata finally shouted, throwing her arms around her stoic cousin in an effort to both stall him and surprise him. _

_The boy stiffened, feeling the small arms of his cousin surrounding him from behind. "Wha-"_

_"It's okay." she mumbled into his back. "I understand."_

_Sakura and Naruto stared, confused out of their minds and their eyes no longer the only things hanging wide open, now their mouths too had followed suit. _

_"Wha?" Sakura gasped. _

_"W-where did you g-go?" Neji found himself stuttering while Hinata pulled back, giving him a smile he hadn't seen in a long time. _

_"Uh... it's a long story." she laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "I do need to talk to father about it."_

_"H-hai." He stuttered, staring at her and noting how she was still holding his hand. Blushing furious, but still holding it. _

_"Bye! Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun!" Hinata added, turning to wave before starting off at a jog. _

_Neji stood there still, looking dumbfounded. _

_"What the hell-"_

_Gasping he turned around to follow. "Hinata! Wait!"_

* * *

_"She hugged him!" Naruto stated loudly. Sasuke leaned his head against the cold counter, blinking rapidly at the blonde. "Will you stop shouting?"_

_"Didn't you hear me?" Naruto sulked, glaring. _

_"It's hard not to."_

_"Dattebayo! She hugged Neji-teme!"_

_"Oh now he's teme too?"_

_"Christ!" Naruto finally spassed. "You're not listening."_

_Sasuke sighed, pushing away from the counter and rubbing between his brows. "So what if he she hugged him? Is that so bad?"_

_"It's not 'bad'" Naruto grunted, drawling on the word. "It's just... new." He lifted the cup of steaming coffee up to his face and sipped delicately. _

_Sasuke stared. "Baka."_

_"Where was she all night do you think?" Naruto blinked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "She looked like she was rested... and bubbly."_

_"Bubbly." Sasuke repeated, cocking an eyebrow._

_"Yeah. And cheerful. Which isn't too new with Hinata, but she wasn't cheerful the last few weeks."_

_"Cheerful." Sasuke repeated again, then decided to stop, for fear of sounding like a parrot. _

_"Yeah? Didn't you notice?" Naruto stared at the avenger like he was something odd. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "No, I didn't notice."_

_"Weirdo."_

_"Hn."_

_"So... about last night." Naruto began, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Sasuke glanced at him, sipping his own cup of coffee lazily. It was probably his 11th. _

_"By 'last night' do you mean the idiocies you were saying while drunk?"_

_"Pretty much."_

_"What of it?" _

_"Eh... the whole Hinata thing- yeah, she's cute, but I wasn't actually gonna..." Naruto shrugged, rotating his shoulders nervously. "Ya know? It was just a passing thought, cuz Sakura was so hung over you all last week..."_

_"I said you were drunk. It doesn't matter." Sasuke muttered, feeling suddenly something like a weight come off his shoulders. Naruto brightened. "Thank God."_

_"You can thank me instead."_

_"Ya know... you're in a surprisingly good mood." Naruto put in suddenly, giving him an odd look. "For someone with a hangover, I mean."_

_"Shut up, dobe."_

* * *

"Where exactly were you?"

"Gomen, I...I was training out and I saw Sasuke-kun-er I mean... Uchiha-san."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"...h-hai."

"Since when is an Uchiha a friend of my daughter?"

"H-he is training me, father."

"Training you?"

"For the end of the year..."

"And where were you?"

"I-I was... well... he was sick...a-and I took h-him home...It started to rain so I-"

"You stayed there."

"...h-hai. D-demo! He was so sick he fell asleep almost i-instantly a-and h-he woke up l-late! I j-just didn't w-want to get sick-"

"You could be tainted for all I know."

_Worlds colliding, like a sudden crack in reality. Oh God, what did he just say? Tainted?_

"T-t-tainted...?"

"You have just put your last stain of dishonour on this family's name."

"N-nani? No! N-no! I am not tainted! Father- I'm sorry!"

"You are no child of mine any longer."

_The stamp against the scroll, an official document. Hyuuga by blood, no longer by name._

_Tears running down her face. That wasn't right. No... that wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to say sorry, supposed to be forgiven. She was supposed to be-_

"But the fight! T-the fight- Hanabi-chan and I-"

"You will have your chance. Challange the ruling of my clan, challange my heir, my daughter."

_Burning words. One daughter, not two._

"Should you win, perhaps then you will be worthy of the Hyuuga name."

_She wasn't sobbing, it was silent, tears pouring down her face. Composed as ever. There were parts of a Hyuuga that a document couldn't get rid of. _

"H-hai, Hyuuga-san."

_She would have preffered a slap across her face. _

"Leave. You are not welcome here."

_And she was running, as fast as she ever had. She didn't realize where until she was standing on the street, staring up at the gate leading to the mansion. _

_His expression was vaguely surprised, but composed. Nothing could ever really surprise him, but he had never seen a crying girl not screaming before._

_"Hinata..?"_

_She choked on her tears for a moment. She couldn't see him very well, it was blurry with the tears in her way. _

_"G-gomen, S-S-Sasuke-kun, demo... I-I-I... m-my father he..." she stopped, burying her face in her hands for a moment. _

Concentrate, control, breathe...

_"Oh no." Sasuke sighed, realizing what had happened in seconds. No one cried like that for no reason. _

_A good day indeed..._

_

* * *

_

Because I stayed home sadly of some unknown illness for the past two days I managed to write quite a bit.

It might feel a bit rushed, but I hope that you all like it. As you can obviously tell it's only been about a month since they've been interacting, so assuming that it's going to last about 11 more months for her to fight Hanabi, you guys are all in for a very long fic.

Though, it will speed up a bit more from here on. Months will go by in more like two chapters instead of six... or seven ...hopefully ((dies))

READ and REVIEW!

-Inky


	10. Part 2 Chp 1: Tainted Flour

YAY! The beginning of a new ERA. Well no… it's more like the beginning of a new Part, but whatever.

Part Two, for your reading enjoyment. Provided by myself. Lol.

READ. REVIEW.

Pwetty pwease? Thankyous!

-Inky

* * *

"Neji-kun?" 

"Hai, Hinata-hime?"

"Is it… because I'm ugly?"

Neji stared at her, seven years old and incapable of understanding what she was trying to say. But he knew better than to agree with her. Whatever it was, certainly wasn't caused by her being ugly, because she wasn't.

"Nani?" he asked instead, cocking his head.

Hinata swung her legs silently, her little kimono bright pink in color and dotted with off white flowers, like her eyes.

The sun was setting behind her, and it was making the water from the pond they sat by sparkle. Rows of delicately set stones were bordering the fish pond. Goldfish big enough to try to eat her little arm swam below, eyeing her little toes thoughtfully. Neji eyed them back, with distrust.

"Ano…" she mumbled, resting her small head on her hands as she stared at the swimming fish. "Is it 'cause I'm ugly that I can't get daddy to like me?"

Neji stared again, startled. "…he likes you-"

"No." she cut in, so soft it wasn't even an interruption really, but it left him without words with which to reply. He saw it each day, his Uncle wasn't very nice.

"Well… he cares, at least."

"You sure?"

"Well… I care, and… my dad cares."

Hinata turned to look at him, blinking her large eyes. "Yeah?"

"Hai." He nodded firmly. She turned to look back at the fish and the way they swam in circles, continuing their rounds to peek at her little toes.

"I'll protect you, Hinata-hime." Neji smiled, taking her hand as it left her face. Hinata blinked at him again, then smiled.

"Arigato!"

Voices drifting… why did it sound so strange to hear them mixing?

"_Don't try it again, you're not strong enough."_

"_He didn't mean it!"_

"_It's okay… I understand."_

"_Leave. You're not welcome here."_

Arigato… Gomen.

Gomen…

_Forgive me…

* * *

_

_Sasuke watched silently, arms crossed over his chest, a cup of coffee steaming beside the table. He leaned against the door frame with a sigh, studying the way she turned in her sleep, struggling with forces he didn't understand. _

_Covered in sweat and flushed, it was obvious that she had a fever, self induced by the vomiting and silent stream of tears she had shed. _

_He'd never seen a girl do something like break down without a single sound. Nothing but her apologies, and he wasn't even sure if they were directed at him. It wasn't that she was delusional, but it seemed like that was the only word she knew to say in her condition. _

_It wasn't like him, to comfort someone he felt he hardly knew, and there were few he considered close enough to 'know' per say._

_But she had helped him, and received the worst possible reply from her family as such. The least he could do was let her rest and hold her hair back while she vomited out all of the shock her system was going through. _

_He had begun to worry when an hour went by and she hadn't stopped. There wasn't anything left for her to vomit, but she still looked ill._

_After she passed out he had had no choice but to wash her face, and her arms, and changed her into one of his shirts. _

_Thankfully she wore enough layers that removing the first two wasn't making it wrong. She probably had a wardrobe under the other ones too. _

_Not that it mattered, he'd been too preoccupied with the fact that she was receiving unfair blows from her family to notice the fact that he was taking clothes 'off' of her. _

_Though it came back to haunt him later while he washed them. _

_It didn't even occur to him that it might be strange, to be sitting there in his own laundry room washing Hinata's stained clothes, pondering what he would do to make her feel better. Somehow in his mind it was just what he was supposed to do. His mother… she would have died of shame if he hadn't. _

_Well… she would have died if she wasn't dead already._

_Sighing the Uchiha leaned his forehead against the cold doorframe, pondering for the fifth billionth time the situation, while listening to Hinata's odd moans of obvious confusion and fear as she tossed in his bed. _

_If that fever got any worse he would have to call Tsunade, or Sakura… someone at least had to come look at the girl. He was no med nin, he didn't have a clue what to do. _

_But he didn't want to do anything without talking to her first. The situation was a little beyond his understanding. _

_All he knew was that she wasn't a Hyuuga by name any longer, that being the only sentence she had managed to get out before rushing to the bathroom. _

Torn from your family, huh?

_He opened one eye, staring at her again as she turned in her sleep, frowning fitfully. _

I know what that feels like…

* * *

_Her lungs were burning, but she didn't care she ran anyway, Ino ran right behind her, the two ninja's pushing their extremes as they sprinted and jumped skillfully onto the rooftops, clattering from one to the next quickly. _

"_How could they!?" Ino growled, unable to contain her anger any longer. Her fist connected with a passing tree. There was no chakra in it for a reason, so it just numbed her hand, but felt good anyway. _

_Being able to hit something the way she wanted to hit Hiashi's god forsaken face._

"_I don't understand why!" Sakura growled as well, eyes searching through each street…_

_The sun was setting off in the distance, a round orange orb being devoured by the mountains and trees. _

_Hanabi had appeared at Ino's flower shop, looking pale with red eyes and frantic. She had only to say that the Clan had disowned her sister, and begged as proudly as any Hyuuga could that they find her and take care of her. _

"…what if she- what if she does something t-to herself…"

_Sakura had left at that moment, a sickening feeling of dread starting at the pit of her stomach. Somehow the image of a surprisingly cheerful Hinata didn't match the idea that maybe she would purposefully harm herself in her distress. _

_But she and Ino didn't hesitate to go looking as quickly as possible, because they knew Hinata well. Being disowned had been her fear, her terror since she was young. It was the thing that might just push the gentle girl to the edge…_

"_Perhaps one of us should inform Tsunade-sama." Sakura muttered, glancing at the mountains near the Hokage's home. "And the rest of the original Nine, no?"_

_Ino nodded, stopping abruptly by Shikamaru's house. "Hai. I'll get that going, you keep searching."_

_Sakura waved and continued to run, searching with anxious eyes. _

_She needed to find Hinata._

_

* * *

_

_Hinata woke, staring dazedly at the dark roof and a slice of the sky past a huge glass window. It wasn't a familiar room, and her body didn't feel familiar. Sore, and throbbing vaguely with pain. _

_Her neck was sore, she didn't even want to move, all of her shoulders and there was a sickening taste in her mouth, along with the dryness making it feel like sandpaper. _

_Sighing softly she closed her eyes, recalling the words her father had said, and his cold eyes as he said it. There was no mercy in those eyes. Begging wouldn't do anything to change his decision now, even if he felt he should. He was too proud. _

_So it was finally over, she had lost the last claim to her clan..._

_"Okasan... I'm so sorry..." tears filled her eyes for a moment and she turned onto her side, her fingers tightening around the soft covers. _

_Suddenly her eyes realized she was staring at the same dark blue material she had seen earlier in the morning and her heart stopped for a moment. _

_The smell of the covers, and the hugeness of the bed rattled through her brain, making the headache there if possible a little worse. _

_Gasping she sat up sharply, throwing off the covers and looking around at Sasuke's room. Empty, thank all the gods, but still Sasuke's room. She looked to stare down at herself, hands moving to touch the soft folds of a shirt that was most definately not her own. It was too big, and black as night. _

_Letting out a breath she scrambled out of bed and froze, watching the door open slowly. _

_Caught like a deer in the headlights she stared, looking pale and ill and a little scared. Sasuke blinked back at her candidly for a moment, trying not to notice too much how the shirt fit her like a dress. _

_Very much like himself, he cooly leaned against the door frame, arms crossing over his chest._

_"You're awake."_

_Hinata nodded rapidly, her whole body loosening at his voice. Her shoulders dropped slightly and she rubbed her face, taking an unsteady step back to sit on the corner of the bed. _

_"Gomen.." she murmured, "I'm so sorry for imposing-"_

_"Quiet." Sasuke shrugged, his voice a lot softer than his words... or word. He didn't say anything else, but watched her fiddle with the ends of her long hair, staring at them dazedly. _

_"What will you do now?" He finally asked, drawing her attention away from her thoughts. Hinata just sighed in response, glancing up at him, rosy cheeked from the situation and the strain. The fever had gone down a few hours ago. _

_"I...I d-don't know."_

_Sasuke just waited, blinking at her patiently. _

_Hinata fidgeted. "I-I-I'll leave- I-I j-just need to f-find S-sakura-chan-"_

_He started, controlling his features to show no surprise. He really must act like a complete ass around her. _

_"That's not what I meant." He muttered, turning away. "You can stay, if you need to."_

_"I-oh..." she blinked, surprised by his offer. Sighing softly in relief she lowered her gaze to her hands. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun... I t-truly d-do apprec-ciate it."_

_"It's fine." he shrugged, glancing out to the burning sunset framed by the giant window. Silently he ruffled his own hair, noting that it was a vaguely nervous trait he had begun to develope. He'd have to work on not doing that. _

_"Are you well enough to eat something?" He enquired, starting back out to the hallway. Hinata blinked, staring after him for a moment before stumbling to her feet and running after him... or at least walking rapidly. Running didn't seem like a good idea when she was still dizzy. _

_"Ano- I-I can m-make dinner..."_

_"You can hardly stand." Sasuke stated thinly, glancing over his shoulder at her as they decended the stairs. _

_Hinata blinked at him, fiddling with the long sleeves of 'his' shirt. _

_"Eh, I-I can, r-really." she nodded rapidly. "I-It's okay." she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I-I've c-cooked in worse c-conditions."_

_Giving a weary shrug Sasuke nodded towards the kitchen. "Suit yourself."_

_Little did she know that he had gone out to buy things a few hours before. He hadn't know what exactly, but trying to remember the grocery lists that his mother used to come home with he picked out a reasonably long list with many a variety of things. _

_All of which he assumed women used to actually cook things. He still couldn't figure out how in the hell a whole onion was of any use at all._

_Glad, for the moment, that she had something to do, Hinata slipped into the kitchen, fiddling with her hair as she walked, already pulling it into a low braid. She'd never be able to handle the strain of having it up in a bun like she usually did when cooking. _

_Rolling up the long sleeves of Sasuke's shirt she looked around the clean kitchen. It didn't just feel clean, it also felt utterly unused. Briefly she wondered if he 'ever' cooked anything in there. _

Does he even have food to cook with? _She frowned slightly, opening the fridge to find it full of things. _

Oh thank God.

_Sighing softly she pulled out the onion, weighing it in her hand as she searched for other vegetables. _

_Maybe while she cooked she'd be able to come up with 'something' to do. Like finding a place to live..._

Okasan... I wish you were here.

* * *

_Sasuke slumped onto one of the couches, studying a scroll's smooth tainted surface but not concentrating on it at all. The smell coming out from kitchen was making him vaguely dizzy with hunger. He hadn't eaten anything all day except for coffee and water and his stomach was being attacked repeatedly by the scent of very good food cooking not too far away. _

_Willing himself to stay put he continued to stare at the scroll. If Hinata bothered to ask what it was, he'd have to come up with a lie, because he had no clue. _

_He had even been tempted to get up and just ask her if she needed help, because sitting there waiting was worse than not doing anything. _

_But he didn't. When he was upset he didn't want anyone around. Assuming most people were like that, he decided to give her room. _

_(a/n:such a guy... ((rolls eyes)) give her room, w/e)_

_Shifting around in his seat for the fourth time in a row he threw the scroll down on the ground, moving to stand up and go to the kitchen. She'd been there for over an hour. The sun was practically gone. He 'needed' food. Around this time he would have already gone to the Ramen Shop to meet up with Naruto, and though he wouldn't eat anything there he'd have stopped at a sushi shop a few streets away. _

_Whatever it was she was cooking though beat sushi, it just smelled better. _

_And he would have gone to ask if she was done and needed help, if the door hadn't suddenly been pounded on. _

_The echo was irritating, whoever was hitting the door was strong enough to knock it down if they wanted, seeing as it was jumping on it's hinges, and the sound of the pounding was echoing out and into the house. _

_Hinata ran out, looking wide eyed. _

_"Nani? W-what's that?" she enquired, hands held up and covered in what looked like flour. Sasuke blinked at her. She had flour on her cheek too, and his shirt was stained with what looked like tomato, but that didn't hold the attention of his eyes very long, it was that patch of flour on her face. _

_Resisting the weird urge to wipe it off, he strode past her towards the door, ignoring her question completely. _

_Obviously irritated he flung the door open and stopped, looking questionably at an out of breath Sakura, leaning against the door frame tiredly. _

_"Sasuke-kun." she panted, rubbing sweat off the side of her face. "Have you seen, Hinata-chan?" her eyes shifted behind him at the sight of movement and she froze, staring at Hinata. _

_Who was wearing one of Sasuke's shirts. _

_She could recognize it anywhere. It was the shirt she liked on him best..._

_"H-Hinata..." Sakura started. Sasuke stepped to the side silently, wondering when the whole 'shocked' factor would eventually wear off. _

_"Sakura-chan... Hi." Hinata began, blinking in surprise at Sakura's shocked behaviour. Surprising both the quiet ninja Sakura launched herself at Hinata, dragging her into a crushing hug. _

_"I was so worried! No one could find you again! Ino and the others are still looking everywhere, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go! What happened? Why is Hiashi freaking out?" The pink haired nin pulled back, giving Hinata a soft shake. "What's going on?"_

_Hinata stared back dazedly, hands still raised to keep the flour from spreading over everyone's clothing. "S-sakura- I... gomen!" she gasped, searching her face, blushing furiously. "I-I didn't realize everyone w-was..."_

_"What happened?" Sakura snapped, cutting her off short, giving her another shake. _

_Sasuke watched silently, waiting for the explanation he too had been waiting for. _

_Hinata's eyes lowered to the ground. "Ano... I... Oto-san...h-he disowned m-me." she murmured, lowering her hands to her sides with a sigh. "H-he thinks I-I am...t-tainted..."_

_Heat rushed to her face as she said it, and she tried not to cry, the tears just pooling helplessly in her eyes as she stared down, face hidden by her bangs. _

_Sakura frowned at her, confused, hands still on her shoulders. _

_"Tainted? What do you mean?"_

_Hinata glanced up nervously at Sasuke and then looked away pointedly, her cheeks so red they could have been confused as apples. _

_Sakura's hands dropped to her sides, mouth wide. "...oh."_

_Sasuke stared as well, having expected this, but having it more or less said was different. The words were bouncing around in his head, confusing all his senses. _

_That was as much a dishonour to her as it was to him..._

_He took a deep breath, calming his temper. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't his fault... it wasn't even Hiashi's fault..._

_To hell with it, Hiashi was going to take the blame, and he'd let him know. _

_"Is it... well, is it true?" Sakura whispered, making both Hinata and Sasuke flinch visibly. "What?" Hinata breathed, reaching to touch her fingers to her lips despite the flour. She stopped before she got there, apperantly too stunned to move. _

_Sakura searched her face. "It's not actually true, right?"_

_"Get out." Sasuke snapped, opening the door wider and grabbing the girl by the arm. "Right now."_

_Gasping, Sakura stumbled backwards out the door, staring at Sasuke like he had grown an extra head. "It's not true! It's not true, is it!?"_

_"No." Sasuke growled, slamming the door forcefully. _

_Hinata stood there, staring past the door. For all he knew she was watching Sakura with her Byakugan. _

_But after a moment she sighed, letting her shoulders droop. "...I-I guess... I s-should get used to t-that r-reaction, ne?"_

_Sasuke resisted the urge to flinch. _

_"Hai."_

_Sighing softly the girl reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear, leaving another streak of flour across her face. _

_"Dinner's r-ready." she mumbled, walking back towards the kitchen. _

_Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck irritably, watching her go thoughtfully. He'd have to go talk to Hiashi after, there was no avoiding it. Probably Tsunade too. _

_But food first... or he'd pass out halfway through. _

* * *

Chapter One of Part Two! FINISHED

READ AND REVIEW!!

-inky


	11. Chp 2: In A Year

Heyo, peoples!

because so many of my darling reviewers have voiced complaints concerning my use of italics i have been kind enough to remove them. Soooo, from now on there will be no italics except for flashbacks, memories, and thoughts. Okies?

have a lovely day! Enjoy!

-Inky

* * *

"Nani? Is there some sort of problem?" 

"Not exactly."

"So then, to what do I owe the honor of having Uchiha Sasuke visit me out of his own volition?"

She was mocking, sounding cocky, but there was obvious worry underlining her subtle tones. It was amusing to know that he could make the Hokage nervous just by coming into her presence. She probably thought he was going to inform her of how he was going to leave again.

But no… that wasn't the case.

"I've a Hyuuga in my house right now. She's been disowned, apparently by her clan." He muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets a bit deeper and looking bored out the window to the sparkling stars. It was late, Hinata was hopefully sleeping again. The circles under her eyes were getting darker by the minute.

"A Hyuuga- you mean Hinata?" Tsunade stood, knocking her chair back.

Sasuke shrugged indifferently. "Hai."

"Hiashi's disowned her? Why?"

"He seems to think I've tainted the heiress." Sasuke muttered, not the least bit ashamed. Somehow it was easier to say when Hinata wasn't standing by to feel the utter shock of the words again.

Tsunade's face betrayed instantly the confusion. "You? How would you-"

"I'm training her." He cut in smoothly, examining his nails. "For her 18th birthday."

Slowly the hokage's eyes widened into realization, remembering the stuttering little heiress and how she had explained that she needed every day to train and couldn't help out at the clinic as a result.

"I see… Why wasn't I informed of this?" she sighed, picking up the upturned chair and setting it back on it's feet with a bang that shook the floor.

Sasuke just swayed slightly by the vibration and shrugged. "I saw no reason why we should make it obvious to everyone."

"Why are you helping her?" Tsunade enquired slowly, sounding tired already. She sat back down, a hand up to her chin as she studied the supposedly aloof Uchiha in front of her.

"No reason." Sasuke replied primly, looking her dead in the face. Slowly the Hokage's pink lips pulled into a smirk.

"Oh indeed?"

Sasuke didn't reply but waited patiently for her to continue mocking. He could recognize disbelief when he saw it.

"There must be something you want." She eyed him thoughtfully, leaning back, arms crossed. "…did you actually taint her?"

The sentence was said so calmly and without expression that he couldn't actually grasp it's meaning for a moment.

Slowly he opened his mouth to reply, his brow furrowing with irritation. "No."

"Well at least we know it's not that then." She smiled. "She doesn't seem like your type."

Biting the inside of his cheek he continued to stare, waiting less patiently than before for her to continue.

"You must want something." She sighed, leaning her chin on her hands, looking right at the young man's dark eyes. "But until I find out I suppose it only makes sense that I allow her to train her. I would help her myself and get her out of your reach but being Hokage puts some strain on what I can and cannot do. Kurenai is useless when it comes to Hinata, she doesn't understand the problem. But I would assume that someone as clever as the Uchiha could figure it out." She cocked her blonde head.

"Continue to train her, I assume Hiashi hasn't revoked her right to challenge Hanabi for the title of heiress, despite her being disowned."

Sasuke nodded slowly, frowning at her with distaste. This hokage had earned quite a bit less of his respect than the previous one.

"Ah, well then continue. I'm sure you can pull something out of thin air with that Chidori-capable mind of yours." She smirked mockingly again.

"Where exactly are you going to put her?" he sighed. "She's staying at my house right now."

"Well, you've got room, do you not?" Tsunade smiled politely, pulling a scroll closer to her and picking up her pen. "You've got plenty of room, with that big mansion off the Uchiha Estate. I'm sure there's a lonely little guest room there somewhere that she could occupy."

Restraining himself from the urge to twitch he bit his lip. "The reason Hiashi assumes I've done her harm is because she stayed in my house one night. Don't you think it will make matters worse if-"

"They can hardly get any worse." Tsunade snapped, letting out a weary sigh and putting her quill down. "What's done is done, whether Hiashi believes what has been said of his daughter or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters is whether or not she is capable of defeating her younger sister in a year, and I'm sure the best way to go about it is if she trains day in and day out." She gave him a long look. "And you will train her as such."

"Hn." He grunted, glaring back.

"I'll pay for her expenses if that's what you're worried about." She sighed, scribbling her signature on a scroll she had obviously not read. "Whatever it is she needs I'll buy it, just send the bill at the end of each month-"

"That, was never the issue." He growled, raising his chin slightly, his temper obviously getting the best of him. No one insulted an Uchiha in that manner.

"What will you do about your own honor?" Tsunade smirked, ignoring his earlier comment. "Hiashi obviously thinks that Hinata tainted you as much as you her."

Flinching at the sudden change of roles in that sentence he shrugged. "I was heading towards the Hyuuga Estate after this."

"Ah." Tsunade nodded, scribbling another signature on another scroll, playing idly with her blonde locks. "To defend your pride."

Sasuke didn't reply. It had little to do with his own pride. Most of the village assumed he had had more than his fair share of lovers. The truth of his virginity didn't seem to be what they wanted to hear. Because of his odious fan club his innocence has been damaged beyond repair long before he ever realized it's worth.

No, he wasn't going to the Hyuuga Estate to defend his own honor, so much as to clear things up. Forcefully, if the case may be.

"Well, I don't mind. I can certainly understand, I'd be mighty pissed off myself if someone came to a wrong conclusion and took it out on someone else." Tsunade continued, shrugging of his lack of response.

"Just don't kill anyone, and don't get yourself killed…Actually, stay away from shedding blood, please." She glanced up at him then, frowning the way a mother would a rotten son. "I need those ninja."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted irritably, bowing his lack of respect before turning to leave, not waiting the half a second longer for her to say he was dismissed. He didn't give a damn if she wanted him to leave yet or not. He had better things to do… like beat Neji's face in.

* * *

"Agh, Hinata-chan." Ino sighed softly, giving the small girl sitting beside her a pat on the head. "It's all right, you don't need to apologize like that." She smiled brightly. 

"We were all just worried about you is all… I had to pretty much drag Shino and Kiba back to their respective caves when Sakura came back to tell us where you were." She laughed, remembering their shocked faces and then their refusal to leave her at Sasuke's house.

"You've got a lot of places to go… but damn, I'd stay here if I were you." Ino continued, looking around slowly at Sasuke's living room.

Hinata shifted uncomfortably beside her, holding a small cup of green tea in her hands. "Eh… I-I don't think that's s-such a good idea. S-sasuke-san is a v-very private p-person, you know."

"So? He doesn't sound like he minds you around. For one thing your cooking is priceless and that boy hasn't eaten a home cooked meal since his mother died." Ino continued, sprawled out on the leather couch, looking very comfortable indeed.

"Ano… hai, I suppose." Hinata blinked, recalling Sasuke's 'two' thank yous before he left to talk to Tsunade.

He had asked if she wanted to come, but from his tone of voice she could tell he didn't actually want her to come along so she had thankfully been able to stay.

"Sakura… looked upset, when she came to find us, ya know?' Ino muttered, watching Hinata's shoulders shrink slightly and her face turn down. "Did something happen?"

"…n-no… not really… Sasuke-kun…he was a little upset w-when she a-asked if i-it was true-"

"She asked that?" Ino snapped, sitting up sharply. Hinata flinched. "W-well… I- she didn't actually know."

"But! Christ… I can't believe she actually asked that." The blonde ranted irritably, rubbing her face tiredly with one hand. "What kind of an idiot-"

"Ne… Ino-chan, Sakura-chan is in love with Sasuke-kun and my being here is probably making her nervous, I-I should l-leave, no?"

"What?" Ino snapped again, turning to look at the Hyuuga in shock. "No! Sakura needs to get over it. Sasuke is most obviously not interested, I mean, good grief…" she shook her head sadly. "It's been years. I got over it, she can do it too."

"But… Ino-chan." Hinata whimpered, shifting the cup in her hands gently. "W-what i-if Sakura-chan is r-really in love with S-sauke-kun a-a-nd they're meant t-to be together and I-" she began, thinking of herself and Naruto.

"No way." Ino grumbled, setting her cup down with a bang. "If they don't love you back, clinging to that is going to hurt you more than moving on and finding someone else who might love you as much as you loved the last person- God, Hinata, I'd have thought you'd be with me on this one."

Hinata stared at her, wide eyed. _If they don't love you…Naruto-kun…_

"H-hai." She murmured, lowering her eyes to her tea again, staring wide eyed at her own reflection. "I-I guess you're r-right…"

"Of course I am!" Ino grumbled, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Anyway." She smiled at her friend, giving her another pat on the head. "You're better off here. Shino is sweet, but his house is full of bugs, and Kiba is sweet too, but he smells of dogs, and I'd love to have you at my house, but I live with my folks, and Sakura… is out of the question, she's sore right now." She sighed. "And don't even think of Naruto, you'd faint too often."

"Eh!?" Hinata meeped, turning bright red. "I-I would n-never-"

"Heh." Ino smirked. "See? You're fainting already."

"Ino-chan!" Hinata whimpered, hiding her red face. Surely, staying at Sasuke-kun's house seemed like the better choice. If he was okay with it… of course.

* * *

The entrance looked like a mouth. The more he stared at it the more it looked like fangs rimmed the gate and the darkness that consumed the inside of the passage was the throat. 

He didn't feel like walking into an open mouth, despite his usually fearless nature.

He'd been standing there for what seemed to be an hour but had actually been about five minutes, trying to figure out what kind of reception he would receive from the Hyuuga clan, and worse what he would do depending on each possibility.

Most of them resulted in some sort of bloody end, and the others were just odd, such as them being calm. That was unlikely.

Giving a tired sigh he shrugged, rotating his shoulders irritably. He had no choice, he had told Tsunade he would talk to Hiashi about the situation, and… he really wanted to.

It was the walking into an open mouth part that was getting the best of him.

Sighing at his childish nature he moved in, shoving the gates open with a slam before shoving his hands into his pockets again, watching the lights begin to turn on inside the house and shadows pass through the windows as he approached.

Well, at least they knew they had a guest.

He waited patiently without knocking at the doorstep, listening to the quick sound of steps against wood flooring.

There was silence for a moment and then the door flung open. As expected Neji Hyuuga looked back at him, pale eyes glittering with fury.

"You." He stated thinly. Sasuke pushed a lock of dark hair out of his way lazily. "I need to speak to Hiashi."

"How dare you show your face here after what you've done to Hinata-hime." Neji hissed, taking a step into his personal space. The comment was hardly a question, it was a very threatening statement.

Sasuke refused to move back, looking at the Hyuuga protector with hard onyx eyes. "Get out of my way, Hyuuga. I need to speak to your master."

"I didn't think that someone that thought of himself as the Uchiha Avenger would be such a bastard as to go and hurt someone as innocent as Hinata-" he began.

Sasuke's hands were up, shoving him forcefully against the doorframe. "Shut up." He stated calmly. "I need to speak to her father. Now."

"Let go of my nephew, Uchiha, and we'll considering that audience you so humbly requested." A deeper voice interrupted before either teens could say anything else.

Sasuke's eyes shifted to the hall inside the house where the tall and proud Hiashi stood, his face serious as ever.

_Oh hell…_

* * *

"So… is Hinata-chan okay then?" Naruto enquired, glancing sideways at Sakura, who had her head on her arms, looking sleepily at the opposite wall. 

"Eh, I'm sure she's fine." She mumbled, closing her eyes after a moment.

The blonde frowned slightly, swirling a cup of sake in his hand. It was his first for the night, and probably his last. The hangover from earlier that morning wasn't exactly going to fade any faster if he didn't lay off.

"Are you okay?" he asked calmly, making it sound like a passing comment.

Sakura stiffened beside him. "Of course."

"You didn't look okay before."

"He threw me out." Sakura mumbled, looking at the counter dazedly. "Grabbed my arm and threw me out… Said it too. 'Get out, right now.' He said… and I just kept asking if it was true." She sighed, lowering her eyes to the floor. "Baka."

Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. "That… certainly sounds like Sasuke."

"I shouldn't have asked. Hinata's face totally drained of color." She mumbled. "I'm such an idiot."

"Nah." Naruto shook his head, cocking his head at her. "You were worried…"

"Shuddup, Naruto. You know I made a mistake this time."

"That's what it was." Naruto admitted, tipping the cup of sake into his mouth. "A mistake." He flinched, downing the burning liquid with difficulty.

Sakura grunted softly in reply and eyed the bottle beside him. "Gimme some of that." She sighed, grabbing his cup.

Naruto started, blinking. "What? You don't drink-"

"Shuddup, Naruto." Sakura retorted, holding the cup expectantly. "Just pour."

"…Oh hell." Naruto sighed, pouring the sake anyway. "I'm gonna have to carry you home, aren't I?"

"Heh!" Sakura smirked, eyeing the liquid in her cup thoughtfully. "Don't act like you're not gonna enjoy it, dobe."

Naruto allowed himself a smirk as he turned away. "Fine then."

* * *

With a satisfied nod Sakura tipped her head back and downed the whole thing. Yes… she'd probably need some help home. 

"What exactly gave you the impression that you could come to the Hyuuga Estate and be welcome, Uchiha?" Hiashi enquired, sitting down at his desk calmly.

Sasuke looked back at him silently, ignoring the chair nearby. He had not been asked to take a seat anyway.

"I never assumed I would be welcome."

"So you came unwanted."

"I didn't exactly want to come either." He retorted, making Hiashi's eyes finally lift to his face with half interest. "Hm. Indeed."

"I never touched your daughter."

Hiashi sighed, waving his hand lightly. "That doesn't matter."

Sasuke frowned, feeling his temper rising. "What?"

"I knew it was unlikely. You wouldn't be interested in someone as weak as my daughter."

The young man before him could hardly think, let alone put together to coherent words… at least two that didn't start with an F and Y.

"What then, is your reason for disowning your heir?" He snapped finally, clenching his fists in vague confusion.

"It's a safety net. Though you have no real reason to know any of this, since I've insulted your own honor with the rumor spread I'll let you know." Hiashi replied calmly, twining his fingers in front of him.

"When Hinata fails miserably to beat Hanabi a year from now she will already be disowned for another matter and the stain on the family name will be minimal. If she wins, she will have reclaimed all the lost honor.. and gained quite a bit more. The best chances for her family are this way."

Sasuke swallowed, trying not to think about Hinata throwing up and then feverish in his house for a whole day as a result of this 'safety net'.

"Your daughter's honor is currently stained by your words." He replied slowly, biting each word. "What if she does fail. You will leave her alone?"

"Of course. She has no business being a Hyuuga if she doesn't have the strength to defeat her younger and weaker sister."

"_You are not Itachi…"_

Instantly his jaw clenched in an effort to bite back furious words. "I see."

"Is the situation clear, then?" Hiashi enquired lazily, eyeing the Uchiha with half interest.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, frowning at the ground.

"You do know I am training her."

"She mentioned it."

"I suggest you leave most of her things in her room." He muttered, turning around to leave. "She'll be back by the end of her 18th birthday."

Without letting Hiashi say another word he stepped out, closing the door as quietly as he could, it took a lot of effort but he managed to.

Neji stood in the hall, staring at the doorway past Sasuke's shoulder. "He…. A safety n-net…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, furious. "Stay out of my way." He growled, shoving past him and down the hall to let himself out of the dark house.

Yes, his house felt empty and cold.

But theirs felt hot with self hatred.

* * *

"I-Ino I d-don't want to be rude…" Hinata began, glancing nervously at the clock. "Demo… Sasuke-kun i-is going to be back soon and I-" 

"Oh my god, you're right!" Ino gasped, shoving herself to her feet. It's already eleven..?"

"Hai." Hinata murmured, taking their cups to the kitchen. "He should be b-back already-"

The door closing sounded, the force was enough to make one of the dark frames on the wall fall and shatter on the floor. Startled Ino and Hinata stared at it, neither of the girls moving in their surprise.

Sasuke stepped inside, tossing his jacket on the couch as he passed by, glancing at Ino for a moment before heading up the stairs.

"S-sasuke-kun…" Hinata began, beet red and startled. "W-what-"

"You'll be staying here." He called from the top of the stairs. "Your things will be here in the morning."

"N-n-nani?" Hinata stuttered, almost dropping the tea cups in her surprise.

Ino stared back at the stairs in equal confusion, gathering her things nervously. "Eh! I'd better go… he kinda didn't seem very happy to-"

"Hinata, what the hell is Ino doing here?"

"Ah!" Hinata jumped, leading Ino to the door quickly. "N-nothing! S-she just- for a second- I mean…. Gomen!"

"bye!" Ino whispered, vanishing into the night as she slipped out the door. Hinata closed it rapidly and turned around to find Sasuke standing there, arms crossed looking puzzled.

Startled Hinata fell against the door, blinking at him. "Eh! Gomen! I-I w-would have asked, but, but she c-came when you were-"

"It's okay."

"I- Oh…" she blinked, loosening slightly against the door instead of being so stiff. "H-hai…arigato."

"We'll clean one of the guest rooms tomorrow morning before your things get here." He replied, ignoring her thanks as he turned to head back into the living room.

"You'll stay in my room for now."

"Eh?" Hinata meeped, walking behind him rapidly, hands up to her lips nervously. "D-demo-"

"It's late, go to bed."

"Ah!" she gasped, blinking at the blankets he had with him. Lazily he dropped onto one of the couches, grabbing a book from the table beside it.

"B-but, Sasuke-kun."

"I need to sleep, Hinata."

The girl breathed in sharply, nodding, so red she couldn't even feel her face. "Hai! Gomen! Goodnight!" she squeaked, hurrying to the stairs.

Two steps up, she stopped, blinking up at the darkness. "Ano…. Arigato…"

"Hn." Sasuke replied quickly, not wanting her to wait patiently for his unlikely reply.

The girl vanished up the stairs in a few seconds, finally allowing him to practically melt onto the couch warily, rotating his tense shoulders.

_The hell, Hinata Hyuuga is a bundle of trouble in a nice package._

He blinked, not realizing he had indeed thought that. It wasn't the bundle of trouble that would have worried him if he had been awake enough to realize it.

No, it was the other part that should have rung bells.

Good thing it didn't.

* * *

Read. Review!

-Inky!


	12. Chp 3: Turning Red

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* * *

It was the smell that woke him. Totally different sense than the last time he had groggily opened his eyes and found himself in his living room rather than in his bed.

He actually didn't mind the living room, the couch was very comfortable, but it was a bit disorienting to wake and stare dazedly at a wall that wasn't supposed to be there.

Or in this case, a wide glass door leading to the Sakura tree he disliked so much.

But that was soon forgotten as the strong smell of something tickled his nose and he sat up, rubbing sleep away irritably and looking around in confusion until the memories of the day before came rushing back and he let his shoulders drop for a moment.

"Oh hell." He muttered, scrambling to find his shirt. It had to be around there somewhere…

"S-sasuke-kun, are you a-a-awake?" Hinata's voice called. Sasuke flinched, leaning down in an attempt to fetch his shirt from under the couch.

"Hai." He replied, clearing his throat as he straightened, unfortunately still shirtless. Hinata blinked at him, coloring so fast he was sure the blood would drain right out of her heart and she'd die.

In one smooth motion she turned around, calling out something in a very high voice about breakfast before hurrying into the kitchen, her braid flickering out of sight in her hurry.

Rolling his eyes the Uchiha leaned back down, grumbling to himself about blushing heiresses and bothersome fathers and worse, a bloody foolish Hokage determined to get him to host a girl in his house when he wasn't in the mood to-

"S-sasuke-kun?" Hinata called from the kitchen again. Said boy finally shoved himself up, having rescued his shirt from the grips of the couch. "Hai?" he grunted, slipping the cloth over his head.

"D-do you want eggs? O-or s-something l-lighter? I never- well I didn't I-I didn't know if you e-even ever e-eat- er, I mean, ate b-b-breakfast." She stuttered, her back to him as she fiddled with something that smelled wonderful cooking on the stove.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, eyeing the slip of bright red skin showing along her neck line.

"Hn." He replied, having understood only the jist of what she tried to say. "Whatever it is you're making."

"Oh! Hai." She meeped, nodding towards the coffee mug on the table, her eyes lowered. "T-that's for you." She mumbled, standing on her tip toes to reach the plates on the top cupboard.

He watched for a moment, hesitating to move to help her, but after a few seconds of fiddling with the breakable china she managed to get it down, letting out a sigh of relief for both of them as she put the thing down on the counter safely.

Satisfied that she knew what she was doing he sat down, pulling the mug towards him with a surprising amount of eagerness. It wasn't often he ever bothered to eat or drink anything in the morning… but this would be the second day in a row that he was offered something that didn't smell nor taste half bad.

"Ano…D-did I-I wake you, S-sasuke-kun?' Hinata mumbled, putting a plate in front of him and settling down across from him in one motion, lifting a cup of tea up to her lips as she settled down.

Sasuke shook his head, still half groggy from the disturbingly deep sleep he had had the night before. Strangely enough, he hadn't had any dreams either, and he'd forgotten to take the sleeping remedy that Sakura had given him too.

"G-good." Hinata nodded, biting timidly into her toast.

Sasuke eyed her thoughtfully as she studied her food, spreading what looked like jam on the bread. He didn't have jam… he never bought jam, he hated sweets.

She had probably gone out before he was even conscious... She was quick.

Blinking rapidly he looked down at his own plate which consisted of hash brown, an egg on a slice of toast and sliced apples.

The hell, it was simple but he didn't give a damn, it looked good. Deciding not to say anything he began to eat, glancing out the window at the bright sky and realizing that he wasn't flinching from the light.

He didn't have a hangover either, being busy with sorting out her business had left him no time to go drinking…

"G-gomen… Sasuke-kun a-about Ino-chan yesterday… I-I will ask b-before letting anyone else in f-from now on." Hinata said suddenly, cheeks lighting up rapidly at her words. She fiddled with her fingers, bumping them together in a manner he had seen her do before.

"I said it was okay." He replied lazily, popping a cube of potato into his mouth. Damned… if she kept cooking she could have a party and he wouldn't care.

"Oh, hai." Hinata nodded, blinking back at him. He hadn't really answered the unsaid question of whether or not she was allowed to have friends enter the house, though she figured that meant it was okay, once in a while.

Deciding to stick to that theory she nodded again, biting into her toast just as the doorbell rang.

"Mmf." She said, making him look up at her, trying not to smirk as she tried to swallow her mouthful of toast. Scurrying quickly to her feet she removed the apron, which he had not noticed until then, and ran out to the door.

Sasuke cocked his head after her in confusion and blinked, sipping his coffee at the fact that she hadn't even asked if he wanted her to get the door…

Not that he cared, she was living there now, it was far more likely that the person on the other side be for her than for him. He had no visitors.

There was silence for a moment and then a deep voice, distinctly male. Smoothly Sasuke stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he came down the hall, looking up to meet Neji glancing up over Hinata's shoulder.

The Hyuuga swallowed and gave a short nod, looking uncomfortable despite his cold demeanor. "Uchiha."

"Neji." Sasuke replied, deciding to skip of the pleasantries of using last names. Hinata stood between the two men, looking pointedly at the ground in vague panic.

"I just came to drop off her things.' Neji replied to Sasuke's obvious question. "H-hai." Hinata said suddenly, pushing past Neji a little coldly so she could pick up one of the boxes that some of the men behind her cousin were carrying.

"Don't, Hinata…. We can carry those up to your room." Neji said slowly. The box was half her size, and though her face was impassive none of the men present would think she wasn't straining to carry it.

"No." she replied softly, pushing past him into the house and down the hall. Sasuke didn't stop her, but watched with approval.

There was at least some pride in that little bundle of trouble.

He turned slowly to look back at Neji, waiting for the pale eyed man to say something, but he didn't. He stared down at the ground for a moment and then looked up, giving Sasuke another nod.

Sighing he turned around to the servants still standing holding four other boxes. "Follow Uchiha-san to her room, gentlemen." He murmured, heading out the gate.

Sasuke watched as he disappeared, satisfied he turned back to the servants. "Come." He muttered, turning around and heading inside to find Hinata.

With a glance he told the other servants to wait as he headed up the stairs to find her standing in the hall, rubbing tears away with her palm, shaking slightly from the strain of crying quietly.

"Hn." He said softly to let her know she was there. She jumped and then blinked at him, rubbing even harder at her tears. "I-I am okay." She nodded, using her sleeve to get rid of the trails down her cheeks. Sasuke watched silently, disagreeing, but deciding not to contradict.

"Which room do you want?" He asked instead, nodding at the half dozen doors. "They're all empty."

"Ano…" Hinata sniffed, biting her lip. "I… w-which one has a window?"

"Here." He led her down the hall to the door across from his and pushed his way in. It truly was empty and dusty. Aside from a black wood bed, a mattress and a white dresser there was nothing in the room. But it was large, with wood flooring and a huge window on the left hand.

"Hai, arigato." She mumbled, rubbing at her face slightly still, fidgeting with her sleeves when she wasn't rubbing.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, turning back to tell the servants where to go. It appeared, she was there to stay.

* * *

Running rapidly, panting heavily from the strain. The weights were cutting off the circulation to her ankle and it was going numb, but she had no time to stop and adjust it. Gasping sharply she twisted, letting the shuriken flash by rapidly, digging into the bark of the tree ahead.

It was cold, she could feel the mist swirling around her as she continued to sprint, listening intently to the sound of the pursuer. He was being louder than usual, giving her a chance.

There was something wrong with that, it made the feline chained in her chest turned over in it's sleep, grumbling with irritation.

Slowing her breathing forcefully she ran towards the twisted trunk of a nearby tree, running up it's unstable surface rapidly, pumping chakra into her feet as powerfully as she could muster, ignoring the extra weight of the training weights and the pain they were drilling into her flesh with each step.

With a soft grunt she shoved off, flipping backwards in the air, the four shuriken in her hands flashing with the light of the sun pouring in through the holes in the forest canopy. She couldn't see them though, because around her eyes was a blindfold, tightly held there, stained with the ink of a seal to contain her byakugan when it activated against her will.

Completely blind she landed at a crouch, listening to the impact of the four shuriken against bark. She had missed her target. Gasping she brought her hands up, blocking the blow that she could hear cutting the air towards her.

Unsteadily she stepped back, straining to listen, straining to hear his breathing, but it was so damned quiet!

Frustrated she let out another grunt, shoving forward through a hole in his defense landing a hard blow to his shoulder, but it slid off as he twisted out of the way, betraying his position with a soft gasp of surprise.

_There you are!_

Rapidly, before she could hesitate she spun around, throwing a solid back kick into what she had hoped would have been his chest, but his hands were there, catching the blow, and though he had to dig into the moss covered ground to hold his position he still had the upper hand. Roughly he threw her forward, almost sending her sprawling to the ground.

But she hadn't been training with him for months to learn nothing. Biting her lip she used the force and forced herself into an elegant flip to her feet, turning to face him again, panting heavily and though her hair was dripping with sweat she was still steady, hands up in defensive stance, turning her head this way and that to listen.

Sasuke stood solidly in the shadows, straining to contain his own panting. She was pushing him more and more each day. He had come to realize that she wore the weights at all times, the only moment he ever saw the weights laying around the house were when she said she was bathing. It had obviously paid off, her speed had greatly increased, even while wearing the weights.

He smirked, letting his hands drop to his sides. If she took those weights off, she might actually give him a run for his money…

"We'll stop for now." He called, watching her head turn sharply at the sound of his voice, blind still she nodded, straightening and bowing politely in his general direction before reaching up to undo the blindfold.

"Hai, S-sasuke-san." She mumbled, fingers fiddling with the white cloth. Sasuke watched, walking over to their water bottles sitting by a tree.

It was easier to train her when she was blindfolded, somehow knowing she couldn't see a thing he did or that his expression wouldn't betray his thoughts freed his tongue enough to speak more.

And, better yet, she blushed minimally when she had to concentrate on other senses. Though, as of late he had realized that it was generally her hearing that she was focusing on improving. Her sense of touch and smell were being ignored. He would have to change that.

Finally pulling the blindfold off, Hinata sighed, folding it carefully in her hands, which were shaking less than when she had started a few months ago. Before, when she had started the harsh training schedule that Sasuke forced himself through every day she had ended each session with such harsh trembling that she could hardly function, and a few times had had to throw up from exhaustion. Sasuke had watched and said nothing, which she had come to realize was his way of approving. She didn't complain, not once, and though a few times she passed out from exhaustion she would always get right back up, pale and obviously shaking but she would continue, albeit slower than before.

Some of the time she didn't even comprehend why she was doing it. There was no way she was going to beat Hanabi. The girl was an unspoken prodigy. She had seen her train with father before. From very young she had mastered all that was thrown at her, practicing blindly until she achieved the desired effect.

But usually, it was because Sasuke was standing there, waiting for her in complete silence. He would watch and though there was nothing expectant about his expression she knew if she said she couldn't there would be the coldness of disgust in his eyes.

Of all people, his eyes were the ones that could get the coldest. There was no pity there.

Somehow the fear of not wanting to face that had been enough. She had seen it, but not directed at her. He still trained with Sakura and Naruto from time to time, on her days off. On those day she would watch from the sidelines as the three highly achieved shinobi of her class battled it out.

Those eyes were always directed at Sakura when she fell, when she crumbled under his power or even that of a soft Naruto.

She didn't want him to look at her that.

"Here." Sasuke grunted, throwing her water bottle at her. Hinata caught it absently, studying the blindfold instead. He blinked, making a mental note to get her to use ear plugs next too. The blindfold had done it's job.

"Arigato." She mumbled, taking a long drink quietly.

Letting out a sigh the Uchiha turned around and sprinted up the tree where her shuriken and his were imbedded, tugging each one out without looking, his eyes focused mainly on her as she began to gather their things.

"Tsunade sent a scroll last night." He stated, landing at a crouch beside her. Hinata glanced up. "O-oh?" she blinked, shoving a stray lock of dark hair out of her way. "I-is it for me?"

"Hai. She requested you go see her after training today."

"Oh." Hinata blinked, standing up quickly, her bag a pile of cloth and sharp objects in her arms. "I-I see."

"You should go now." He added, reaching down to pull his own bag up onto his shoulder. Hinata nodded rapidly, turning around. "Hai!" she squeaked, nervously fiddling with her hair with one hand. "I-I'll go-"

"Give me that." Sasuke sighed, watching her almost drop half of her equipment out of the bag.

Hinata stared for a moment then nodded, knowing full well he would look impatiently at her if she didn't just hand it over. Bowing her thanks again she passed the things over onto his hands and turned around to sprint out of the training site.

"I-I'll be back b-before dinner, Sasuke-kun!" she called over her shoulder, giving a soft wave before turning and disappearing from sight. Sasuke shrugged to himself, pretending he didn't care as he threw her bag over his shoulder too.

* * *

"Ah, Hinata-chan." Tsunade smiled as the heiress was escorted into her office. "It's been so long since I've last seen you!"

Hinata bowed deeply turning a bright red at her Hokage's words. "Gomen nosai, Tsunade-sensei!" she mumbled, straightening slowly. "I-I have been very b-busy."

Tsunade smiled at her lightly, examining the new Hyuugs Heiress. The old Hinata seemed distinctly like a long forgotten memory. She had been timid and small and covered from head to toe in clothing too big for her. This Hinata was different.

Wearing a black tank top and a mesh shirt over top, with an off white tunic style vest and training wraps that curled up her forearms and thighs, she looked distinctly different.

And from the amount of muscle she could see rippling with each move she was obviously stronger as well.

"How have you been, Hinata?" Tsunade finally asked, resting her chin in her hands. Hinata blinked at her, hearing the note of soft worry and curiosity crossing her sensei's voice.

"I-I've been well, sensei." Hinata murmured, looking back at the pretty blonde face confusedly.

"Is your training helping?" The hokage asked again, hoping being more direct would get the questions and answers finally flowing. Hinata nodded rapidly. "Hai, sensei. I believe I am improving…d-demo, I-I still have a l-long ways to go."

"So the Uchiha managed to help, did he?" Tsunade smiled, half mocking already. She had known it would work, Uchiha Sasuke had been one of the few students to push himself to his limits once a goal was set. Under most circumstances he would expect the same from anyone he bothered to train as well, and seeing as he was vaguely involved with the current situation at the Hyuuga household it made sense that he would push Hinata as hard as he would push himself.

Which was exactly what Hinata needed.

"Y-yes… Sasuke-san has been very helpful." Hinata nodded rapidly, clenching her hands behind her back. "Oh- ano… Arigato, Tsunade-sensei, for the furniture you sent to the house. I-I really appreciate it… I didn't want to ask S-sasuke-san f-for it-"

Tsunade waved her hand lightly, recalling that a few days after Hinata had moved in with Sasuke she had sent several bunches of things she might need. Towels, a mirror, shelves, frames, a dresser, desk and chair, rugs and blankets. Neji had informed the Hokage that Hiashi had refused to give most of Hinata's old things away, for pride's sake. Sasuke's last words on his visit had been rough on the man's ego.

"Don't mention it. As my unofficial apprentice you deserve some pampering." Tsunade smirked, lighting up a pipe as she spoke. "You look good though, Hinata." She smiled, giving a nod of approval as she blew out the smoke absently.

The pale Hyuuga colored rapidly, looking down at herself in surprise. "Ano… arigato…"

"I just called you here because some of your colleagues have been a bit worried about you. Shino, Kiba, Ino and Naruto in particular." She admitted. "No one sees you, now days. We miss you at the clinic as well, I haven't been able to find anyone to fill your position."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Gomen nosai!" she gasped, looking startled. "I didn't m-mean to m-make everyone w-worry."

"They just want to know you're all right." Tsunade almost laughed, waving away her look of panic. "But it looks like you're still you."

"Hai, sensei." Hinata managed a shy smile. "I-I will try t-to reach them m-more often- and if you n-need me at t-the clinic I can-"

"That'd be excellent!" Tsunade smirked. "I am sure Uchiha can do without you for a few hours each day, don't you think?"

Hinata's eyes widened at the realization of what she had done. She hadn't asked him if it was okay to suddenly take a chunk of her training session right off the board.

"Oh-oh… uh… ano… sensei- Sasuke-san he might-"

"How's he treating you, by the way?" Tsunade cut in, standing up and heading towards a bookshelf in the back of the room.

"…ano… well, fine." Hinata blinked at her back, confused. "I-I am not sure I u-understand-"

"Well, I was just worried is all." Tsunade admitted. "He can be rough."

"R-rough?" Hinata blinked, trying to remember a point in time when Sasuke had been rough when they weren't training.

"Yes." Tsunade laughed, turning to look at her questionably. "Have you never noticed?"

Hinata blinked back at her confusedly, blushing slightly from being so dense. Was he really rough? She didn't recall really.

"W-well… He d-doesn't l-like to t-talk much a-and he is v-very private, b-but he's very kind." She frowned confusedly at the Hokage.

Tsunade stared at the girl, who had made the longest speech she had ever heard her say before about a young man that until recently she hadn't been aware she even knew.

"Heh!" the blonde smirked. "Really."

Hinata nodded, blushing at the expression of vague disbelief on the Hokage's face. "I see." Tsunade nodded. "I see…"

"Uh…ano… about the clinic…" Hinata began again, trying to change the topic. "Yes, I suppose I'll give you your old job back then, ne?" the hokage continued, riffling through several documents. "Two hours in the afternoon I think should be good enough, and if that Sasuke has trouble with it, tell him to come over here and I'll give him a good explanation as to why I need you there. Honestly, Sakura is a brilliant med nin, but in your department she's almost useless. She worries me sometimes."

Hinata stared. "D-demo… Sakura-chan c-can do s-so much better in the-"

"No, no, Sakura's got talent, yes. Just, not with this. Anyway, I have to give Kakashi another talk to for leaving one of his stupid books in the academy library." Tsunade sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "So, it was lovely to see you, Hinata. I'll call for you again in a few weeks. Do you think you can start at the clinic tomorrow?"

Hinata blinked at her over her shoulder as some servant she hadn't seen before led her to the door by the elbow. "Eh? Oh-I-I think m-maybe I-"

"Good! I hope to hear from you soon!" Tsunade called, signing something and waving absently at the door as it closed.

Hinata stood numbly in front of the door, blinking at her, raising her hand to her lips nervously.

_Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!_

Already flinching at the reaction she would probably get from Sasuke she began the slow walk back home, hanging her head in defeat.

No there was no easy way out of the mess. If she said no to Tsunade it was almost as bad as facing a slightly irritated Sasuke-kun.

Sighing softly she shook her head, pulling her hair out of it's braid to redo. Hopefully he wouldn't take it too badly…

* * *

Sasuke stared at her impassively, watching her fidget uncomfortably under the constant and dark eyes, looking anywhere but his face.

"Ano… I- Gomen! S-she s-said s-she r-r-really needed m-me and I-"

"How often is it?"

Hinata froze, staring at her fingers as she bumped them together nervously in front of her. "T-two hours e-each day… i-in the afternoon." She mumbled. The only time it really cut into was dinner. But she had been making dinner since day one and he hadn't missed a single one so far, so she hadn't either. The unspoken responsibility was hers.

"It's fine." He shrugged. "You're moving to the lead weights tomorrow."

Flinching visibly Hinata colored rapidly, letting out a breath. "G-gomen, S-sasuke-kun… she s-speaks very quickly."

"Hai." He grunted, sounding half amused as he flopped down on the couch lazily, pulling up a scroll he had been studying for the past week.

Hinata blinked rapidly at him a moment. "Ano… I-I will start d-dinner in half an hour." She mumbled, bending down to remove her training weights slowly. Sasuke just nodded, focused completely on the scroll already.

Letting out a long breath of pain she pulled the weight off her ankle, flinching at the sight of the yellowing bruise forming around it's grip.

A shadow fell over her suddenly and she looked up to meet see Sasuke blinking down at the bruise thoughtfully.

"The lead weights are going around your waist, wrists and thighs." He stated impassively. "Get rid of those."

Hinata started, nodding rapidly as she picked up the old weights. "H-hai." She mumbled, turning to head up the stairs to the bath.

_Oh thank goodness… I don't think I could survive another day of feeling nothing from my feet…_

As soon as she was gone Sasuke turned around, opening the closet in the hall to pull out the training lead training weights he had had Naruto drop off earlier that day.

Without bothering to let her know he was leaving he grabbed his coat and slipped out the door. He needed to get those modified to fit around the thighs…

* * *

It wasn't rare for him to wake up to the smell of something warm and enviting coming from downstairs. It hadn't taken her long to realize what his favorite foods were, and he was particularly impressed by the fact also that she had known from day one that anything with tomatoes was accepted without even a look of complaint or hesitation.

He wasn't tired of her meals either, because despite it having been three months since she had moved in there wasn't a single one he could claim to have been repeated. Somewhere in one of the boxes brought in with Neji a few days after her arrival there had been a few cooking books with more than what he supposed were 300 recipes.

It didn't take long for him to realize she was using every single one of them. He had seen the book and at first had wondered if she was studying something outside of ninjutsu in her spare time, but upon picking it up he had come to the realization that no.

They were just recipes. No complains there.

But, this morning the smell was different, it wasn't a morning smell of eggs, or of fresh baked bread of some kind as was more common. No… this time it smelled of something vaguely sweet.

Not a good sign, sweets were not a good sign, he didn't like sweets.

Frowning slightly he stumbled out of bed and into his washroom, dunking his head in the cold water as he often did, though of late it hadn't had much of an effect on him anyway. Before it had rid of half his hangover, lately he hadn't had a hangover to get rid of in the first place.

He couldn't just go and get brutally drunk with a girl around… and mainly that one. For some reason he was more terrified of her than of any other girls. Not because she would go and do something, but because if 'he' tried something she would hesitate to fend him off. And she was one of the few that would want to fend him off in the first place.

Rubbing his face with the towel hanging around his neck he stepped into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe to watch her work. It had become his habit.

It was actually rather amazing watching her work, she moved without hesitation. She knew where everything was, without looking, reaching for the salt blindly while reading from the recipe propped up against the fridge.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked, eyeing the sleeveless white tank top she had on and the sweater hanging from her waist.

_She has nice shoulders…_

"Eh!" She gasped, turning around rapidly. "Sasuke-kun! Good m-morning!" she meeped, blinking at him for a moment and then turning around again. "Oh- I- making dinner, before we leave." She blinked at him again uncertainly, before turning to stir whatever was cooking on the stove.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, watching her neck begin to turn red slightly. He couldn't tell if it was from the heat or his staring.

_Oh shit! I'm staring._

Looking away pointedly he cleared his throat, as quietly as possible and added. "Why?"

"Oh…ano.." Hinata mumbled, her back to him still, fiddling nervously with the mushrooms frying on the pan. "…I…well I-I have t-to work today i-in the afternoon…" she mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at him nervously.

"…I w-will t-talk to T-tsunade-sama t-this afternoon a-about switching m-my schedule, hai?"

Sasuke cocked his head, crossing his arms thoughtfully while looking back at her until she looked down again, bright red and a bit puzzled.

"Hai." He replied, and then froze.

_I.. don't care if she's not around for dinner… do I?_

"Ah, okay." Hinata nodded rapidly, turning back to the stir fry.

He frowned at himself while her back was turned and sat down, blinking at his mug of coffee on the counter just like every other morning. Maybe the reason he wanted her around for dinner was because she actually cooked. Going back to eating sushi every night and the occasional ramen bowl would be disheartening.

Yeah… that was the reason.

Hinata sat down in front of him suddenly, putting a bowl of porridge and a plate with his usual toast and egg in front of him.

"Ano… S-sasuke-kun…d-do you mind… i-if I work at the c-clinic again?" she mumbled, stirring her tea unnecessarily. Sasuke glanced up at her over the rim of his coffee cup, eyes as intense as usual.

Feeling more intimidated than the last few days Hinata looked down quickly, staring at the rippling tea in her cup.

"No." he shook his head for good measure, putting his cup down quietly, but ignoring his breakfast instead, watching to see what she would do as he obviously waited for her to say something.

Hinata fidgeted, feeling more and more like they were playing a game of chess and she didn't know the rules.

"…d-do y-you t-t-think I'm improving…enough?"

"Fast enough." Sasuke replied, relieved that she was forcing herself to ask the questions he knew had been heavy on her mind since day one.

"Oh!" she replied, daring to glance up at him quickly in surprise. Obviously she hadn't expected that reply. Sasuke blinked back at her patiently.

"You have a long ways to go, however you have time." He nodded, finally turning to stir his porridge quietly.

Hinata felt a smile tug at her lips. "Hai." She nodded, biting into her apple happily.

"Your new weights are in the living room." Sasuke added, making her look up in surprise, having not expected him to say anything else all morning. Their small conversations usually had to last until midday when they stopped for a break while training.

"Oh… arigato." Hinata blinked.

"Check to see if they fit." He muttered. "If not, we'll have to stop at the armourer to get them refitted."

"Oh, hai." Hinata nodded, eyes widening with interest. Downing the rest of her tea quickly she ran out with the apple in her mouth, pulling her hair into a braid as she walked. Sasuke watched out of the corner of his eye, noting that she was as excited about the new weights as Sakura usually was about a new dress.

She was one strange girl.

* * *

Hinata munched on her apple quietly, strapping the weights around her leg with difficulty, the apple firmly lodged in her mouth because she need both hands.

The weight there was uncomfortable, but because the material was lead it was thin enough and equally spread to wrap all the way around her thigh without adding too much volume and making it hard to walk.

The trouble was… that it was too small.

"Uh oh…" she sighed softly, her voice rising and falling in though. It wouldn't go around her leg.

"Am I really that big?" she blinked, lifting her leg up on the step by the front door and cocking her head at herself.

"Not fitting?" Sasuke's voice enquired.

Letting out the customary 'meep' sound she always did when surprised she turned, feeling the weight slip.

Without even thinking about it she caught the material before it hit the floor. "Eh… well…no.." she admitted sheepishly, feeling heat rush up into her face.

Sasuke didn't reply but stepped down to her level, blinking in the bright morning sun. "Let me see." He sighed, extending his hand for the weight.

Hinata stared, hesitating for a moment before handing it over, feeling even more blood rush to her face rapidly as he fiddled with the straps and then crouched down.

_Oh my God!_

"You okay?" he asked, not looking up as he fit the material around her leg, his cool fingers tickling the inside of her thigh as he slipped it into place.

Hinata stared on straight ahead, blinking rapidly to clear her vision, taking a deep breath slowly before replying as calmly as she could.

"Mhm." She squeaked, nodding quickly.

Knowing full well now that she wasn't as okay as she was saying she was, Sasuke smirked, looking down at the ground pointedly for the sake of both their prides. Though, he couldn't help but feel the skin under his fingers…

It was very soft skin…

Finally feeling the heat start to creep up on him too he straightened, pulling the weight along with him.

"It's too small."

"Hai." She squeaked again, bending down to gather her things, looking anywhere but him.

"Let's go." He added, thanking whatever God was looking down on him for the fact that she was refusing to look at his face.

Because it was burning.

* * *

"Ah, back again, Sasuke-san." The rough looking man nodded. The blacksmith's shop was dark and gloomy, with a huge fire burning at it's center and black soot covered tools hanging off of black soot covered timber that made up the wide canopy blocking out the bright sun.

It was early in the morning but he was already covered in sweat, the glistening muscles rippling under the shirt that Hinata supposed had once been white but the soot had claimed long ago.

He had a handle bar mustache, bright red like a carrot and a bald head, but his eyes were small and friendly looking, and his voice deep, like a grandfathers.

"Hai." Sasuke replied in a bored tone, lifting up the training weights. "They didn't fit."

"Oh indeed." The armourer laughed, a booming sound bouncing off the metal all over and making the sound of the roaring fire sound small.

"Well, without the trainee here to get them fitted it would be hard to say just by your roundabout assumption."

"She's here." Sasuke replied calmly. This particular armourer was one of the few people in the world that didn't annoy him… much.

Hinata peeked from behind Sasuke then, her long braid swinging at her movement, red cheeked, hands up to her lips timidly.

"…Hello…"

"Heh!" the big man started in surprise, blinking at the cute little thing that had suddenly appeared from behind the broad shoulders of the younger man. "Who's that right there? Come out here, sweetie, I don't bite." He nodded, and he seemed to mean it too.

Hinata blinked, glancing nervously at Sasuke who looked back at her calmly, waiting patiently for whatever reaction she chose to give.

Slowly she stepped out from behind him, bowing quickly.

"G-good morning, Swordsmith-san."

The armourer smiled, glancing over at Sasuke with a big grin. "She's cute as a flower that one. The name's Taichou, sweetheart." He winked. "I'm assuming you're here to get those weights fitted, then?"

Hinata nodded quickly. "Hai, Taichou-san!"

"Well let's see then." He muttered, picking up the weights Sasuke had put down on one of the counters not covered completely in soot. "Hm… looks like you need bigger straps is all. You're a tiny lil' thing." He added, glancing at the girl and making the comparison to Sasuke, who stood a head and a half taller than her.

"Is there anyway that could be done quickly?" Sasuke enquired, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We're already late for training."

Hinata glanced at him thoughtfully, wondering just what they were late for. Usually they just trained on their own.

"Hm, well, you can't leave till I measure the little one." Taichou shrugged, nodding at Hinata. "And it'll take me a good half day if you want it done properly. Modifying ankle weights to thigh weights is harder than it sounds, you're lucky I managed to get it done last night in such a hurry."

Hinata blinked, startled by his sentence, eyes slowly shifting to Sasuke in surprise.

Avoiding her gaze purposefully he shrugged. "Fine."

"Here….er… what's your name, darling?" he added, rummaging in his pockets for a measuring tape. Hinata lifted her hands to her lips nervously, not wanting anyone touching her after the little incident at the doorstep. Taichou looked like a nice man… but…

"Hinata." Sasuke answered for her, glancing at the girl with a bit of a puzzled look. "Her name's Hinata."

Said girl blinked, realizing she had completely missed a question. "Gomen." She mumbled softly.

"Hehe, a dreamer, I see." Taichou muttered absently while unraveling the measuring tape. "It's no problem, sweetie, people never take the time to think now days."

"H-hai." Hinata answered, unsure if what the right answer or not.

"Here then, Sasuke-san." Taichou said suddenly, handing the measuring tape to the young man. "I'll go get these ready then, while you measure the cutie pie right there." He muttered, picking up the training weights. "Just let me know the size and you can both be on your way."

Sasuke took a deep breath, fiddling idly with the tape in his hands, sensing the very negative vibes practically rolling out of Hinata in waves.

This was one of the most awkward things he had ever been asked to do, and he was feeling it very acutely.

"Hn." He said, turning to look at her calmly. Before he realized he was going to say anything the words were coming out of his mouth.

"Is it okay?"

Hinata blinked back at him, mouth open slightly in surprise. Between them there was the unsaid agreement… that all awkward things would remain unsaid.

This was a break in the protocol… it felt…good.

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding she nodded. "…Hai."

Without another word Sasuke crouched down, wrapping the tape around her leg quietly, blushing furiously and this time in clear view of Hinata's pale eyes, watching him work with a look of puzzled surprise.

His face was almost as red as hers! And his ears! She lifted her hand up, in case she actually giggled out loud.

His ears were so red!

Finally after what seemed like an eternity he stood up, pressing his lips in a thin line and looking anywhere but her.

"Taichou!" he called, walking towards the man on the other side of the room, peeling apart the training weights.

While he was gone Hinata looked down at her legs, still feeling the places where his fingers had pressed against her skin.

Wrinkling her nose thoughtfully she smoothed her hand over it, as if erasing the touch.

_It's so… strange._

"Hinata." Sasuke stated suddenly, walking towards her quickly but looking pointedly past her. "Let's go."

"Hai!" Hinata nodded, stopping to bow at Taichou who was waving at them. "Arigato, Taichou-san!"

"See ya later, sweetheart!" He waved back before turning to fiddle with the weights again.

Hinata smiled, running to catch up to Sasuke's quick steps.

Things…were looking up.

* * *

**Awww, she's SO cute!**

**WHOA! Guys this was a loooong chapter! ((gasp)) hehe, anyway, I hope you guys like it. The beginning felt a bit strained, ne?**

**Well, please leave a message, it'd be lovely to know what you think.**

**AND filler number 2 is ON the way!**

**Read. Review.**

**-Inky**


	13. Chp 4: Vanished

**Hallo, dear reviewers!**

**It is only eight in the evening here, but seeing as I am being tested for mono because I'm so disturbingly tired all the time it feels like it should be around one in the morning. **

**HOWEVER, here I am writing a new chapter, for all of you! Actually, this is the second version of this chapter. The first one is pretty much trash ((bangs head on desk)) I couldn't believe the stupidity of it. **

**Please read, and review. The hits are somewhere along 8500 and something. So SOMEONE is not reviewing.**

**Enjoy!**

**-inky

* * *

**

"Ano…S-sasuke-kun?" Hinata managed to ask, feeling a lot lighter since the weights were not dragging down her step. Though, after a while she had grown accustomed to the old ones. It didn't feel like she was carrying them half the time.

"Hn?" He asked, glancing back, looking bored.

"S-should I-I maybe go back and..uh… and get the o-old weights?' She blinked at his back. "I…l-left them at home."

The words were out before she realized their implication. She had not called his house 'home' before, at least not out loud.

And certainly not around him…

Coloring rapidly she lifted her hands up to her lips, wide eyed as she waited for his reaction.

Surprisingly it didn't come. As if he hadn't noticed anything wrong with the sentence he shook his head.

"No, you will be training with Ino today." He glanced over at the Hyuuga heiress, pondering why she was still so red. Was it possible that the incident in the blacksmith's shop was still making her blush?

_It wasn't that bad… was it?_

"Oh!" she blinked, letting her hands drop as the earlier comment was washed away and she concentrated on something more interesting. "Ino-chan? Demo… why?"

"I'm busy today." He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets just a bit deeper than usual. That signaled the end of the conversation.

And though Hinata was still curious she withheld all questions. Some of the rules she knew were set up for her own good. Sasuke-kun was a very private person, and she knew this the moment she was told she would be staying at his house. Nothing in the deal stated he would change, so she assumed the role of a polite guest and bit her tongue… forcefully.

"You will be back on the weights tomorrow." Sasuke stated suddenly, surprising her by saying something else, breaking the silence that they had begun to get accustomed to.

"H-hai." Hinata nodded, looking down at her hands clenched in front of her.

They didn't really go out into town often, not together, at least. She left to buy food, usually, on her own. The vendors knew her as the pretty little lady that would shop every week for the groceries.

Somehow the fact that her eyes stated Hyuuga blood didn't occur to any of them.

At that moment as she glanced around past the long curtain of hair in her way she noticed the watching eyes and the stares… as well as the whispers.

"…it's true…"

"An Uchiha and a Hyuuga?"

"She's not wearing the Hyuuga emblem…"

Heat rushed to her face as she walked, head down, a few steps behind Sasuke, listening to her heart pounding so rapidly in her ears that it was drowning out their words.

_What kind of disgrace have I brought upon my family…?_

Breathing slowly she clenched her hands, digging her nails into her palms, feeling her heart slowly sinking as the whispers reached for her ears.

It had been a long time…since her heart had felt that heavy in her chest, hurting with each beat, the shame making her face warm and her eyes sting.

It had been a long time since she had thought of mother…

_Oka-san…_

"Hinata?" Sasuke stopped, turning to look at her, his expression not at all what it usually was.

The girl looked up, blinking back the stinging tears pooling in her pale eyes, unclenching her hands forcefully.

"H-hai?' she whimpered, flinching at the betrayal of her voice.

His expression changed slowly from puzzled curiosity to confusion as he turned to scan their surroundings…and the looks.

Realization slowly came to sit upon his shoulders. The whispers that he was used to ignoring weren't about him alone this time…

Slowly he closed his eyes, letting out a soft breath he had been holding while warily examining the world to see what was causing her so much agitation.

"Come." He muttered shortly, taking her wrist gently, turning around to lead her away.

It was one thing to be whispered about in mild pity and confusion, it was a different thing to be whispered about because your father was a bastard who could make up rumors about you, sacrificing you like a lamb for the family's honor.

The anger he had been ignoring for the situation was gnawing at the pit of his stomach as he pulled her away, eyes locking onto the weaker gazes of others that eyed them only long enough to feel the bite of his anger from a distance.

"S-sasuke-kun…" Hinata whimpered again, rubbing her eyes to rid of the tears.

_Oto-san…would be ashamed of me, crying like this in public for no good reason…_

"Quiet." Sasuke sighed, feeling more tired than if he had just done all of his training routine. It was always this kind of thing that made him tired. Thinking about his past… and now her past too. Maybe because he couldn't change it, no matter how hard he trained…

It was strange…

Hinata watched the leafs as they flew by, dancing by them as they slipped off into one of the allies, heading towards the less crowded side of town.

They had been okay, for months. She had been so busy not thinking, just concentrating so fully on doing what he asked of her.

Her eyes widened, remembering a moment where his voice had betrayed more emotion than she had ever heard him express.

_"...ano... just..." Hinata frowned at herself. It wasn't so hard to say, she was struggling so much, and he was being so helpful. Swallowing her nervousness she mumbled. "M-my sister... she is stronger... I-I have to find a w-way to-"_

_"Beat her?" Sasuke finished, stopping his walk suddenly. His voice was suddenly different and Hinata shivered slightly in the cold, staring at their shadows on the ground. _

_"...well...h-hai."_

_"Why?" he asked softly, eyes focused on the ground. _

_Hinata's eyes suddenly became worried. He sounded so sad. _

_"...she will take away my clan... i-if I can't."_

_A shiver passed through him, and she felt it against her chest. "...ano...Uchiha-san...a-are you...are you o-ok?"_

_"Fine." he muttered, continuing on in silence. _

He hid his own troubles from himself, the same way he had been hiding hers. The training, it was a distraction, a reason to forget for days on end what the reality of the situation was like.

Suddenly his grip on her wrist wasn't burning so much. She glanced at the grip there, it was tight enough that it wouldn't slip… yet hardly there.

_Why haven't I been watching you from the start?_

Her eyes examined his stance, the way he walked, the way his eyes flickered past each street and each face as they passed by.

_You're not what you seem at all…_

He stopped, having passed the last little shed before reaching the dirt road leading towards the training site where he had found her the first day.

He let go of her wrist, nodding towards the road. "Ino is waiting for you." He muttered, pulling the bag of training equipment off his shoulder and handing it to her silently. "Here."

Blinking rapidly from both the light of the quickly rising sun and the fact that the tears were gone and drying around her lashes she took the bag blindly, looking down at the ground and their shadows stretching oddly from the dawn.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." She mumbled.

Wordlessly he turned around, heading right back into the nightmare he had just dragged her out of.

Hinata watched, feeling something start at the base of her throat. Words, but she didn't quite know what they were.

So she held them back, caging them like birds.

No, she couldn't say whatever it was yet.

* * *

"It's about bloody time, dattebayo…" Naruto grumbled, pushing away from the wall he had been leaning against. "Christ, you and Kakashi, I swear…" he gave Sasuke a look.

"Please do not tell me you're gonna end up like that weirdo."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted irritably, walking up the seemingly endless stairs towards the Hokage's office.

Naruto followed behind him, eyeing the morbid shinobi distastefully. "What the hell's up with you? You're even more irritating than usual."

"Shut up, dobe."

"See what I mean."

"I said, shut up."

Naruto blinked, rubbing the back of his neck confusedly. Whatever the hell was wrong with the teme he was obviously not willing to talk about it.

"…fine." Naruto sighed, finally weary of trying to irritate the answer out of him. Deciding on a new tactic the usually blonde blonde stated thinly. "Sakura said she needed to talk to Hinata after her training today, but seeing as you're here… I didn't know what to tell her. When is Hinata free?"

"I'm not her babysitter."

"The hell, you're the only one that keeps tabs on her nowdays." Naruto snapped, suddenly irritated as well. "She doesn't do anything without bloody well consulting you first. No offense but that's annoying."

"For you?" Sasuke enquired, turning to look at him suddenly, eyes narrowed. "Is it more sake talking, dobe?"

Naruto froze, looking away despite himself. The memory of what he had said then was something he tried not to think about.

Sakura had blabbed about Hinata's vague obsession with him months ago, when she had been drunk out of her mind and admitting that she had obsession with Sasuke herself.

But Hinata had vanished off the face of the earth and with Sasuke pulling all the strings there wasn't even the slightest chance that he would be able to talk to her… and perhaps apologize.

For what, he didn't even know.

"That's not what I meant." Naruto snapped, frowning at the steps. "…I'm not interested that way."

"Really." Sasuke enquired quietly, making Itachi's name flash through Naruto's mind. There were moments when the darkness that was in Sasuke's past was hard to forget.

"The hell." Naruto snapped again, turning to look him in the eye. "Why do you think Tsunade called her to her office yesterday? You and Hinata have vanished off the face of the Earth. You come out even less than you did before."

Sasuke turned away, looking at the fully risen sun and the village below full of people living out their lives without much of a care to any troubles he might have.

Sometimes it was amazing to know just how unimportant his life was.

"It's none of your business." Sasuke finally replied, turning to look back at the blonde calmly.

It was true though, what he had said. Before he had gone out each night, and spent a few hours at least drinking until he could go home and sleep, as dreamless as he could manage to make the sleep with sake.

But then he hadn't had a girl at his house who he had to respect- and who cooked well enough to keep him tethered there. Not that it mattered, he didn't miss drinking that much. He hadn't had a nightmare in months.

"Like hell it's not." Naruto muttered, sounding for some reason more mature than he had in years. Silently he pushed past the Uchiha, pissed off and obviously tired of the conversation.

Glad that the useless squabble was over Sasuke followed, clenching his hands slowly within his pockets.

Whatever Tsunade had to say, he somehow knew he wasn't going to like it.

* * *

"Hinata-chan!" Ino waved, standing the moment the girl came into view. Hinata waved back half heartedly, her mind still feeling clogged from the many events of the morning.

"Hi, Ino-chan-" she began gasping as Ino grabbed her into a bear hug that would have crushed normal people.

"I haven't seen you in MONTHS! Where the heck have you been? Sakura and I can hardly stand each other again, just because you're gone- you're like the glue that keeps us together!"

Hinata gasped, pulling away gently, blushing and smiling despite herself. "Eh, gomen, Ino-chan. I've been very busy."

"Does he push you hard?" Ino asked, eyes widening as she leaned into her friend. Hinata blinked, drawing back gently. "Nani? Well… yes…"

"Not too hard, I hope?" the blonde grinned, patting her on the head the way she often did before. "I don't want you to break."

"No no." Hinata shook her head. "Not too hard." Deciding not to mention the vomiting, shaking and passing out she smiled. "Just… h-hard enough, hai."

"Sure." Ino muttered, waving away the conversation like a bothersome fly. "I was worried about you though. No one sees you anymore. You should have seen Kiba and Shino when we were at Tsunade's office the other day. They wouldn't stop talking- well… Kiba wouldn't, Shino just nodded to everything he said, so I guess Kiba was saying the right things."

"Oh- hai!" Hinata nodded, watching as her friend started to wrap her hands and forearms slowly with training bandages. "Tsunade-sama t-told me… I'm sorry, for making you all worry like that…"

"It's all right." Ino shrugged. "It got you out, our worry though, didn't it?" she smiled. "You saw your sensei and now you get to see me." She grinned, falling into battle stance.

"Let's see what you've learned then, ne?"

Hinata blinked mildly, dropping her training bag to the ground, surprised by how quickly Ino decided to start training.

She had supposed somehow that she would want to talk for a while before hand, but apparently not.

"Hai." She nodded, rotating her shoulders slowly. "…Ino-chan… do you know what Sasuke-kun is doing?" the words came out quickly enough not to stutter, trying to catch the blonde off guard.

But once in battle stance, even Ino couldn't be shaken. She smirked. "You'll find out."

And then she launched forward.

* * *

"Hello Sasuke." Tsunade smirked, twining her fingers together in front of her as she watched the two shinobi enter her office silently. "It's been a long time since I had the pleasure."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, eyeing her with obvious distrust, hands stuffed so deep in his pockets that you couldn't tell he was clenching them.

"I'm glad you chose to come, however." Tsunade admitted, pulling a cup of what looked like tea towards her.

Somehow both young men didn't think that was tea.

"I have a few things to discuss with the two of you. But I'll start with the tricky bit, shall I?" she smirked, glancing over at Naruto who was looking gloomily at the ground, being quite a bit more silent than usual.

"The Chuunin exams are coming up again." She muttered, finally taking on a more serious tone that didn't involve mocking the young Uchiha in front of her. Everyone knew the delicacy with which the Chuunin exams had to be handled when speaking to Sasuke… or any of the Rookie Nine.

"So?" Sasuke grunted when silence took over the room and neither of the two blonde's present bothered to speak. Tsunade looked at him silently over the rim of her supposed tea, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied his expression, coming to no sure conclusion as to what he was thinking.

"We are still low on available shinobi, and though there hasn't been a lot of trouble lately… you know the possibility of someone finally attacking is higher when we are receiving contestants from all shinobi villages… I need a full security team stationed at the village to keep things under control. Because my first pick have been issued missions during this time I am required to find suitable substitutes…" she looked intently at the two shinobi in front her, daring them to rebel at her words.

"I have decided to make the two of you head of security."

Naruto finally looked up, showing for once some interest in the words. "Wha- Me?"

Sasuke sighed, looking at the ground irritably. _Shit…this is going to take time right out of my training schedule…_

Tsunade smirked at Naruto, her glance flickering over the Sasuke questionably. "Under your command I am putting the highest ninja available, most of who you know, the original rookie nine and some extras to keep the security in top shape. You will also be working with the other villages and their representatives."

"Whoa." Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, looking puzzled. "Hell… when are the exams?"

"Exactly one month from today."

Sasuke glanced out the window, past the Hokage's shoulder, staring at the sky and it's slowly darkening hue. It was going to rain… He would have to get home soaking wet after this.

Hinata would probably get sick if she trained too long with Ino. He closed his eyes, looking for all the world as though he were bored and he hadn't been assigned one of the most important tasks that a shinobi could be given.

"So, what do you both say?" Tsunade finally asked, sounding impatient as usual. Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever."

Naruto grinned fully. "Sweetness! Shino and Kiba are gonna fall over dead when they hear that I'm in charge-"

"Co-captain." Tsunade corrected irritably. "Don't let the title of captain rush to your head, twerp."

Twitching irritably Naruto stuttered, beginning another pointless argument with the blonde hokage. Sasuke tuned them out, thinking over how he would have to schedule his and Hinata's training in order to compensate for the loss of time.

"Enough!" Tsunade snapped, standing and giving Naruto a glare to cut off his arguing.

"I also had something else to discuss with Sasuke in private. Naruto, you are dismissed."

Frowning obviously the blonde opened his mouth to argue and was met with a wave of the Hokage's hand. "Shut up, and leave now before I beat you out the door!"

Growling the blonde shut his mouth hard and stepped out, slamming the door closed behind him.

Sasuke didn't bother to look back, instead he waited patiently for the Hokage's eyes to focus on him again.

Finally the woman sat down, sighing heavily in aggravation. "How is Hinata's training doing, then?" she looked up, swirling the contents in her tea cup in a manner that stated for sure it wasn't tea.

"Fine." Sasuke retorted thinly, eyes narrowing slightly at her.

"I need more of a report than that." Tsunade snapped, rubbing between her brows irritably. "I don't understand why all of your generations has to be so bloody defiant, honestly."

"She is gaining speed, and some confidence… She has a long ways to go still." Sasuke replied slowly, hoping that would be enough to get her to let him go. He was tired of listening to this shit. He had better things to do. Though, if someone asked him at that very moment what kind of things he probably wouldn't have been able to answer.

"Speed, hm?" Tsunade replied, leaning her chin on her hands. "Do you think that will be enough to win against her sister?"

"I have no studied the girl's fighting capabilities." Sasuke replied, giving no real answer to the question.

Frowning slightly Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes to calm herself.

"Hanabi has been training just as hard as Hinata, harder… possibly. Her father is refusing to let the title go to someone who is weak. Hinata has to get it. That clan will die under the ruling of Hanabi." She opened her blue eyes to stare at him.

"I need Hinata to win."

Sasuke stared back silently, trying to remember if he had ever heard anything concerning the younger sister of the Hyuuga heiress.

Truth be told, aside from hearing that she was 'capable' and 'able' he had heard nothing. There was nothing special about someone who was able… everyone was able. And with Hiashi's pressuring as her drive to use her abilities it was even less impressive to know she was a 'capable' ninja.

"What will happen if she looses?" He asked slowly, pondering over the fact that he would have a stain on his pride. He had more or less promised Hiashi that his oldest daughter would win, so now his own honor was on the line.

Regret wasn't something he felt very often but right then he was regretting quite acutely the fact that he had stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

"The youngster Hanabi will take the title of heiress and then Clan head." The hokage muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the dark rain clouds forming over her village.

"She will be manipulated by the useless elders that have made the clan rot from the inside out." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could feel a headache coming on from all this thinking.

"The clan is already dying…"

"And you think someone like Hinata can save it?" Sasuke scoffed, making the blonde turn sharply to look at him, frowning. "What does that mean?"

"She's not even certain if she wants the title." Sasuke retorted thinly, irritated. "As a leader she would be useless."

The hokage smirked. "Not if she has her friends to help her."

"Interference." Sasuke grunted. "Family business should remain within the family."

"As did that of your family?" Tsunade murmured, watching as his eyes widened and then closed sharply, hiding the emotion there.

It had flickered by too quickly for her to realize exactly what it was, but it had been there. He had felt 'something'.

"This is different."

"Nonsense." The hokage muttered. "There is no difference, your family was rotting just like the Hyuuga clan. I do not want the same fate to come upon Hinata as it did to you."

"You are exaggerating the situation." Sasuke muttered, sounding bored.

Paying him no heed the Hokage continued, pressing on as if he had said nothing. "I need you to continue pushing her. The reason I have put you as captain is so that she may learn. She needs to learn to do more than just strike quickly, she needs to learn to speak and command attention upon entering a room. I need you to teach her that."

"You want me to give her confidence." Sasuke smirked, this time the chilly amusement forcing the Hokage to bury her face in her hands impatiently.

"I need you to."

"Hn." The Uchiha grunted, turning to slip out the door despite the fact she hadn't dismissed him. Tsunade refrained from arguing, watching as he stepped outside.

"Oh and Sasuke." She called, forcing him to turn to look at her, frowning with impatience. He had been within her office for far too long already.

"…don't you dare hurt her."

"Hn." He grunted, vaguely irritated as he closed the door.

_More problems… great.

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_

**I am very sorry to inform you that Filler #2 will be held back a few release dates, lol. **

**I just reread the thing, and I decided that it was crappy and I am rewriting it. For some reason I've been utterly blocked lately. I think it might have something to do with Naruto withdrawl. **

**Please leave a message and let me know if maybe I should fix some stuff on this chapter, it'd be lovely to know. **

**-inky**


	14. Chp 5: Daffodil's Oniichan

**Hey guys**

**So the last chapter sucked horribly. Ya know something, the first version I wrote had her training with 'all' her friends and though it was okay it still sucked too. I think I might leave the last chapter as is, because it does cover all the important things on the plot and though it might not be fluffy, life aint fluffy and I don't wanna say it is in a fic. SO. **

**Yeah, it was a lil dull in comparison to my other ones, but since you've all read it already, lol, I'll leave it and move on. ((and also, rewriting something so boring is TORTURE))**

**READ.REVIEW.**

**-inky

* * *

**

The rain had begun to pour, three seconds and it was down, a cascade of water.

Hinata paused on the road to look up at it, feeling it caressing her face as it fell, eyes closed. It was a pleasure to just look at the sky sometimes, to know that the world wasn't just where she was and that things were beyond her understanding… so it wasn't really her fault.

She hadn't been able to do that in weeks, outside she had always been with Sasuke, and he had caught her staring up at the sky twice already, both times he had been unsure as to what to do and she had been vaguely embarrassed by the situation. So she hadn't done it again, in his presence, for both their sakes.

But now that he wasn't around and Ino had left, shouting out something about Shikamaru and a date as she ran away, she was alone and free to do what she wished, if only for a few minutes.

Sighing softly she closed her eyes, letting it drench her in its cold touch. She would probably get sick from it…

Her body had been over heated just a few moments ago, the sudden shock from hot to cold was probably not a good idea.

But even though her inner self was speaking so rationally and stating how she should probably be rushing home to change for work she didn't move, still staring up at the heavens.

_What time is it anyway? Three? Perhaps four… _

She opened her eyes to stare at the sky, trying to find the sun, but it was hiding behind the clouds.

Sasuke hadn't mentioned if he was going to come back for her after his 'business' so she finally sighed and bent down to pick up her things, flinching visibly as she felt one of the bruises caused by Ino's harsh blows strain. The kick has landed right against her stomach. But she figured she deserved it for not paying attention.

There was nothing Ino could throw at her that she couldn't dodge, it had been purely a lack of concentration that had earned her that giant bruise.

For a long while at the beginning she had held back, moving slowly, watching Ino's fighting style and becoming reacquainted with it.

The odd thing was that she never noticed just how obvious Ino was when fighting. She didn't know how to hide her movements, a skilled fighter could tell before she was going to punch or kick, it was all in her shoulders, obvious as the eyes in her face.

She didn't say it out loud, but she thought it over in her head as she watched her blonde friend run off happily, completely unaware of the sudden change of roles in their relationship.

For the longest time, Ino had been stronger, she had taught Hinata a lot of things, but now… more than likely, Hinata was the strongest of the two.

It had been an odd feeling at the time, something she didn't really want to go into, because of the odd sensation she got in her chest, she wasn't sure what it was yet, so she left it alone. Perhaps later she would know.

Smiling, despite the rain she skipped over a tree root, landing in a puddle that splashed up all around her, a giggle escaping her lips despite her best intentions.

"Oka-san… the rains are back… it looks like they didn't want to leave like they usually do." She mumbled, bending down to examine a small daffodil struggling against the pounding rain. Slowly the pulled one of the bigger leafs closer to the little flower so as to give it shade.

"Onii-chan… you have to take care of the little daffodil, what will she do without you?" she smiled, feeling free. The first time in months that she had been allowed to be herself. The daffodil seemed to pull itself together as the bigger leaf covered it, glad to be out of the rain.

"You'll grow little one, I'm sure." Hinata nodded. She wouldn't have felt as free if she had known she was being watched.

Standing behind one of the trees nearby was Sasuke, crouched down and studying the girl living at his house with new found interest.

There was no stutter from this particular Hinata, and she moved with confidence. Wherever she came from, he needed to find out and drag more of her out…

Because Tsunade told him to, of course.

"Onii-chan." Hinata stated over the rain, frowning at the leaf as it removed itself from over the little daffodil.

"…she needs you, don't you understand?" sighing softly the pale girl smoothed the leaf over with her fingers, glancing at the giant bush to whom it belonged.

"Perhaps you need to grow some too, ne? So that you can take care of her? Here." She muttered, looking around until she found a twig. Biting her lip she pulled out one of the towels she used during training and began to wrap it around the twig so as to make a little umbrella.

"She'll be fine until you grow, ne?' she smiled, pushing the twig into place beside the daffodil.

_What the…_Sasuke frowned, confused. It seemed like such a childish thing at first, but if you watched long enough, it didn't feel so childish.

Just, more caring than usual.

Hinata finally stood, stuffing her things back in her bag, wet but they would dry. Wrinkling her nose irritably for a moment she stood still, lifting her hand up to her face, eyes closed.

Confused again Sasuke stood as well, watching past the tree trunk silently, puzzled.

Suddenly and out of the blue she sneezed, a soft and very small sneeze. Wide eyed now the pale girl sighed.

"Oh no.." she mumbled, rubbing her face. "I should get home… I'm going to be sick." Before she finished the sentence she was already running past him in the direction of their house, moving with the agility he had taught her over the last few months.

He just watched, blinking rapidly in the rain, soaked and probably soon to be ill as well.

But that didn't matter. He had learned something, even if it was by accident. Maybe he would stop telling her whether he was going to pick her up from places from now on. It seemed to bring out interesting things when she didn't believe he was around…

* * *

"S-sasuke-kun?' Hinata called, standing in the foyer quietly, listening to the pounding rain and the utter silence that accompanied it.

It seemed as though there wasn't anyone home at that particular moment. Everything was still and the lights were all out.

Glad that he didn't lock the door when he went out, Hinata sighed, looking down to stare at the puddle of water that was forming on the floor from her dripping clothes.

"Oh no." she sighed, looking at the seemingly endless hallway leading to the stairs.

If she went up there all wet she would take forever to dry everything once she got changed. And somehow she didn't want Sasuke to come back and slip on the wet floor.

Though the image of him tripping made a smile slip over her face for a few seconds.

"Ne." she sighed, glancing around nervously as an idea slipped into her mind. She didn't really have the time to dry the ground where she stepped, she was probably late for work already.

Sighing she lifted her hand up to unbutton her black blouse, biting her lip tightly.

"…ano.." she mumbled, staring down her fingers caught in the act of undoing the first button.

Letting out a frustrated sigh she reached down and unbuttoned it, following her fingers as they undid each one quickly, ignoring the gnawing feeling rising in her throat.

Her face was red, despite the fact that there was no one there.

_Oh God, if Sasuke walks in here right now I will probably die…_

Shivering she slipped her training tunic off, standing in just the dark tube top over the training bandages she used to tie her chest down and her panties also covered over in the training bandages around her thighs and hips.

Letting out a breath of nervousness she looked down, blinking at the giant bruise spreading on her stomach.

"Ne… this looks bad…"

The door knob turned. Slowly the sound of the rain grew louder and the cold wind caressed her wet skin as the door opened quietly, light from outside flooding in, along with the shadow of someone standing at the door.

She spun around, terrified, slamming her shoulder against the door so hard that it would probably bruise too. Gasping she slammed the lock into place and stepped back, arms wrapped around her chest.

Sasuke stood on the other side, staring paralyzed at the dripping bushes by the door, trying to figure out what it was he had seen, because from what he could tell it was curvaceous hips and smooth skin slick with rain water.

He swallowed, unaware completely of his cheeks turning very very red.

…_what exactly is she doing? _

He froze, staring at the water sliding slowly along the curves of the pillars holding up the cover for the doorway.

He blinked, trying to get the image of a raindrop sliding across her pale skin to vanish from his mind.

Slowly, and attempting to sound normal he turned back to the door, licking his suddenly dry lips.

"Hinata?" Sasuke's voice called as irritably as he could from the other side. "Hinata- is that you?"

If it was possible to blush all over Hinata managed it right there and then, feeling her entire body take on a new level of warmth.

Rapidly she bent down and picked up her wet clothes, struggling with what to say.

"A-a-ano!!" she squeaked. "O-o-one second!"

Biting her lip hard she lifted her hand to the lock and turned it.

Faster than she had ever moved in her life she turned and ran, scurrying up the stairs fast enough that when Sasuke finally opened the door she was nowhere in sight.

"…what in the hell…"

The Uchiha stepped inside, looking down at the puddle of rain water on the floor and the fact that there was no Hyuuga in sight. Frowning slightly he closed the door and shook out his head, making more water drip everywhere.

Puzzled he bent down to remove his soaking shoes, studying the still house with interest.

Finally he caught sight of something at the foot of the stairs.

Not caring if he was soaking or not he walked over to it, crouching down to pick up the obviously drenched cloth.

"Nani…" he began, staring at Hinata's shirt. Then his face colored.

"Oh." Dropping the enticing little object he stepped back, not daring to head up the stairs.

"Oh shit." He sighed, rubbing his wet face irritably.

_I almost walked in on her wearing no shirt…_

Little did he knows he was wearing no shirt AND no pants.

As if thinking about her was enough to make draw her out of hiding, Hinata tripped down the steps to the landing in the middle, wearing dry, hastily put on clothes, her braid still dripping with rain.

"S-s-s-sasuke-kun!" she gasped, blood rushing to her face as she noticed her shirt lying rather guiltily at the foot of the steps… right by him.

"Gomen nosai!! I-I-I… uh…. Ano… I just…" she squeaked, lifting her hands up to her lips, staring wide eyed at him for a moment until realizing rather quickly that he was studying the house rather than her.

And he was red.

_Nani..?_

"Don't lock the door." He sighed, choosing to pretend he hadn't realized the situation. "It's annoying."

Hinata's face took on another hue. "Eh-h-hai! Gomen!"

Unsure now of whether or not he realized why she had locked the door she watched as he stepped into the living room, ripping off his soaked shirt in the process.

Staring anywhere but him she bent down and scooped up her own discarded clothing, stuffing it in the bag hanging from her shoulder, shaking all over despite her best intentions to remain calm.

"A-ano… I-I- the clinic-" she stuttered and then clenched her eye shut tight. "I have to go to work!" she cried in a hurry, finally getting the words out without tripping over herself.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, his back turned to her.

_Someone's up tight. I didn't even see anything really…though what I did see wasn't half ba- oh shit… Christ. _

"Hai." He shrugged, flopping down on the couch, soaked over and all. He was 'not' about to continue removing his clothing with her standing there all gittery. It would just make him want to run and have a very long, very cold shower.

Hinata blinked, watching the rain water drip off his pants and to the floor. It looked dreadfully uncomfortable.

"Ano…d-d-dinner is ready…i-it just need to be warmed up…i-its in the f-fridge." She mumbled, watching him throw his shirt on the ground.

"Fine."

"I-I don't know exactly w-when I'll be b-b-back."

"Sakura wanted to talk to you, Naruto asked me to let you know." Sasuke stated suddenly, remembering the dobe's little rant at the steps to the Hokage's office earlier that morning.

Hinata blinked, confused by his suddenly cool demeanor. He was never very friendly, but this seemed kind of forced. Puzzled and a little curious she nodded."…hai.. I'll be back later." She mused, too absent minded to stutter as she walked out the door, still pondering how he had not cared about the water.

…_maybe I shouldn't care either…ne?_

Finally outside she let out a sigh, closing the door quietly behind her. The tension across her shoulders wasn't gone yet, no way, but it was better to know that he wasn't around, for some reason.

_I… am never changing in the foyer again._

"Well… it was a stupid thing to do in the first place, anyway." She sighed at herself, shaking her head as she skipped down the steps, umbrella in hand.

Hopefully the nerves of coming back home wouldn't affect her work.

Hopefully.

* * *

As soon as she was out the door Sasuke sighed, melting into the couch as he relaxed.

"Hell be to all women." He grumbled, shaking out his head again to get rid of the water. _What in the name of any god gave her the idea to change in the foyer… Christ…_

Still jumpy from the nerves of the possibility of walking into her…well…naked he walked up the stairs, noting that her shirt was gone.

It hadn't occurred to him until then that something of the sort could happen. For some reason they were always out of the house when one or the other was taking a shower or bathing or at least they were unaware of changing and all sort of physical nonsense.

Right up till then when he almost barged in and saw her-

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it…_

Ruffling his own hair irritably he slipped into his room, glancing at the mess of blankets on the bed and the wide open window staring out at the rainy day.

Still soaked over he sat down on the edge of the bed, frowning at the sky and it's limitless torrent. Somehow he wasn't hungry, despite having eaten nothing but the breakfast much earlier in the day.

Not having the enticing smell of her cooking coming up from the kitchen didn't help his appetite at all. Letting out a frustrated sigh he lay down, closing his eyes to ponder over why he was so frustrated.

Lately he had had a lot of odd emotions he couldn't name. Usually he called them frustration and was done with it, but he had come to the realization it was probably not frustration at all and he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Little did he know… that it was normal to experience such things.

Sighing deeply he blinked, breathing in the scent of jasmine still over powering his covers. The moment she started doing the laundry everything was attacked by the smell that clung to her skin. He couldn't figure out where she got it from. Her shampoo in the bathroom didn't smell of it, nor did any of the little bottles that had appeared beside his own on the counter.

But somehow he couldn't believe it was natural for a woman to smell of jasmine.. or whatever it was that she smelled of.

And for sure it wasn't good that his covers smelled of her. If someone else happened to come in and…

He stopped, frowning at his train of thought. Who the hell would be going into his room to smell his blankets anyway?

Shaking his head he closed his eyes again, feeling the weirdness of the day acutely. Having routine broken by something like boredom wasn't good for people like him… it made him think.

Thinking wasn't good.

* * *

Hinata stared dazedly at the running nurses within the huge building that Tsunade called a 'clinic'. Truth be told it was more of full rank hospital just without the proper papers to say so.

Hinata was the head of a very certain department, which Sakura had been trying to run the moment she disappeared to train, but from the look of panic on all the nurses faces Hinata was suddenly aware of just how much help she was there.

"Ano…Toki-san-" she began, watching a nurse she knew run by, looking flustered. "Sorry ma'am, we'll be having no visits today because of-" Toki stopped, her plain but innocent face changing into surprise the moment she noticed who she was talking to.

"Hinata-sama!" she gasped, throwing her arms around the girl despite the towels she had been holding. "Thank GOD!"

"Eh!!" Hinata gasped, stumbling back, smiling despite herself. "Nani? What's t-the m-matter?"

"We've missed you so much!" Toki gasped, stepping back to yell at the others that Hinata-sama was back.

Soon Hinata had accumulated a small crowd of excited nurses welcoming her back loudly.

"The department is a disaster! It's loud there 'all' the time!"

"How did you do it before?"

"They won't be silent!"

"You wouldn't believe the amount of complaints we get nowdays!"

Sakura came in then, carrying a clipboard and looking frazzled. "Where is everyone? I can't be in there all on my own, I have to go take care of the emergency department on the- Oh." She froze, staring at Hinata in the middle of the welcoming crowd.

"Hinata." She stated, confused. "W-what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training with Sasuke?"

Hinata blinked back at her friend, feeling her cheeks burn slightly from the awkwardness. Sakura and she had not been able to speak like they used to the few times they met after Sasuke's harsh expulsion of the girl the first day after Hinata's disownment.

Somehow, it felt like something had been broken.

"H-hai." Hinata sighed, nodding. "Demo… Tsunade-sama a-asked that I t-take a few hours each day to r-run my department-"

"Heh." Sakura replied, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "Well… that's good, I guess."

"Hai?" Hinata blinked, pressing her fingers to her lips nervously.

"Yeah." Sakura shrugged. "I can't do it. It's just not my thing."

"Ne…I-I'm sure y-you just need p-practice is all, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled, starting to roll her sleeves up.

"No, I just don't think I'm made for that kind of thing." Sakura shrugged. "Here." She added, handing her the clipboard. "Have fun."

Without another word the pink haired med nin started down the other hall, calling out for the nurses of her department to follow.

Frowning slightly in confusion Hinata watched after her and then sighed, looking down at the clipboard thoughtfully.

"Well… we've a full house, ne?" she murmured, biting her lip. Thirteen of their twenty beds were taken.

"Toki-chan, Asumi-chan." She called, turning to smile at her two nurses. "L-let's go, ne?"

"Hai!" the two girls grinned, following after Hinata the way apprentices follow a powerful master.

Hinata continued to study the clipboard and all the information on it, feeling once more at ease in the environment she felt she belonged in.

Maybe… she wouldn't talk to Tsunade about cutting her hours…

* * *

**Oh no! What will happen to Sasuke-kun's dinner? **

**Stay tuned to find out!**

**(omg, that was so cheesey)**

**Read. Review. **

**-inky!**

**PS. My comp hates me. I was finished tweaking this chapter, and making it GREAT. and then it ATE it and now it's GONE and now it's OKAY instead of GREAT.**

**WHY DO I KEEP SCREAMING THINGS?!**

**please review. **

**-inky.**


	15. Chp 6: One is in Alone

**I pretty much love you guys, lol**

**I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story. Sorry about the last chapter, it had very little plot. I think I was trying to make up for lack of fluffiness… but that is over my dear friends. After spending two days reading four books (Tales of the Otori and Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie) I have come back armed with my usual plot AND fluffiness weapons in hand.**

**And a more aware vocabulary ((grins and gives a thumbs up)) SO. Please leave a message, let me know what you think. **

**WARNING: my writing may feel a little odd when you read it, less familiar than usual because I have a tendency of sounding like the authors I read. Please inform me if this is true in the fic. Thanks a bunch!**

**Read. Review.**

**-Ink

* * *

**

The rain had not stopped. Straight through the evening and well into the night it had not ended. Sasuke had unconsciously remained awake, listening and waiting for the sound of the door opening and Hinata stepping into the house to shelter from the pelting water.

That did not last long however. The tiredness of earlier in the morning and having to endure the memories of his past and of hers seemed to be enough to drag the strength right of him. Sometimes he figured the only reason he trained was because if he didn't the emotion would drag him right under and he would be nothing more than an empty shell staring lifelessly at a wall in some hospital ward, the bill paid by the money that his dead relatives had all left behind.

Such thoughts did not lift the gloom, and so the wariness continued until he had nothing more to say, and nothing more to think, and though he kept waiting, unsure if he was waiting or just sitting there without a thought or care to what happened next. It was only natural that after some hours of lying in his bed, listening to the rain… that he fell asleep.

The sleep was deep, deeper than he had had even with Hinata around. In his drowsy state he allowed himself to admit things he already knew, things that he had been ignoring for some time.

Like the fact that her cooking tasted like home, and that listening to her breathing a room away rocked him into a dreamless sleep that left him more rested than the sake he had forced himself to consume before, and that her smell on his covers and his clothes soothed him when he stared too long out at the sky and wondered where his brother walked.

The dreamlessness continued for some time, interrupted only by odd images in his mind of droplets, the manifestation of what his ears were taking in. The rain was pelting against his window, lightening flashing past and lighting up his room. But the sleeping boy who was really more a man than boy paid it no heed, so deep in sleep was he.

_Running, panting, swearing under his breath, cursing the very breath with which he swore, wishing it would vanish, that the air would leave him, mocking him as he dropped to the ground and died, suffering worse than all the others that had fallen. _

_Unable to avenge his clan, unable to take back what he must, he would die a shamed man, someone who would be buried face down, staring into the hell where his spirit would probably dwell. _

_The trees passed by, faster as his pace sped up and he managed not to trip. Blood was all over his hands, on his brow, on his lips, metallic in his mouth, pooling there and making him gag. _

_He could run, run forever if he wished, but he already felt the presence of those eyes, the rotating sharingan that followed him everywhere. _

_It was there behind him._

"_To whom do you run, little brother?" Itachi's voice enquired softly behind him, his breath grazing his neck. _

_Tension rolled across his shoulders, a pain worse than being stabbed beginning at the base of his throat. _

_He didn't realize it was the scream that was choking him until his brother's hands were around his neck, lifting him off the ground, cutting off the air before the scream could escape. _

_If it didn't get out it would consume him like fire. _

"_To whom do you run?" Itachi asked again, looking him in the eye, meeting sharingan with sharingan. But Sasuke knew exactly what his brother's powerful eyes could do… and what his own could not. _

_To whom do I run?_

"…_I-don't know-"_

"_To whom do you run?"_

"_I don't…know…"_

"_To whom do you run?"_

"_I DON'T KNOW!"_

"Sasuke!"

Gasping he shot forward, hands reaching for a knife, for flesh, for a neck, anything that would inflict harm on the voice, on those eyes that would drive him mad.

Hinata's voice reached his ears, gasping as she grabbed his wrists sharply, pulling them away from her neck with force he had not been aware she possessed.

He froze, staring at the pale shocked girl almost on his lap from the short struggle he had caused. Her eyes were wide like a cats and her hair loose, falling like a cascade of dark ink to pull around them both.

The curtain was wide open, letting only the moonlight fall in through it, the light twisted by the tendrils of water that trailed its smooth surface leaving veins across it.

"…what…" he began, still stunned, still confused. It had been months his last nightmare. And he had 'never' had anyone wake him from them.

The heat of her flesh around his wrists suddenly burned and the touch sent his mind reeling, aching for the comfort of human contact.

"A-a-are you oka-" Hinata began and then gasped, feeling his arms go around her, crushing her into him.

He was trembling from head to foot, each shiver close enough for her to feel against her skin. Startled out of her mind she froze, trembling herself, her cheeks flaming and eyes wide from utter shock.

"…S-s-sasuke..I-" she began, unsure of what she was going to say.

Sasuke let out a long breath, feeling her tension and her surprise. He forced himself to wake, jabbing at his rationality sharply to make him move backwards away from her, but the feel of her against him and the smell of her jasmine so close was too good to pass up and he moved slowly backwards, feeling heavy as he did so, looking down and trying to find some sort of sentence to take away the strangeness.

"Gomen." He finally settled on, sounding hoarse, as though he had screamed. He realized suddenly that he probably had and that was the reason why she had come.

Hinata sat there, still so close she might as well have been on his lap, but she didn't move, staring at his odd pained expression and the droop of his shoulders.

"A-are you….I….y-you were c-crying out and I…." she stopped, rubbing her arms slightly in the cold, moving to stand, realizing suddenly just how close they were.

"Please do not leave." He stated suddenly, in the same tone with which he said everything, yet the meaning of his words was totally different than his tone. He was defeated for the moment. He had never woken in the night and felt the presence of someone else.

No one had ever been there before. The sensation was intoxicating… And in his still half dazed state he was still frightened enough to beg for her to stay, if only for a few moments more.

Hinata looked at him, swallowing the knot in her throat, looking down at the pair of dark shorts and the baggy t-shirt she wore.

They were not the most modest of items, however she could have been in far worse, and his voice was so broken…

"Hai." She nodded, forcing herself to sound assured. This situation was not so new to her. Hanabi had woken more than once in the middle of the night with a scream of apology.

Though they had never spoken of it Hinata had come to understand that the dreams were of failing their father. It had somehow shamed her that as the eldest daughter she did not nightmare that she failed him.

For some reason she felt vaguely like she didn't need to have nightmares about that circumstance, seeing as she was already living it.

Slowly she sat down beside him, rubbing her arms again, looking at the ground, unsure of what to do. "Do…y-you want something t-to drink?" she murmured, standing again, feeling that without movement she wouldn't know what to do. Slowly she looked at him, seeing that his eyes were closed tight, as if trying to imagine something away.

She didn't realize he was listening to her movements and breathing in her scent.

Her words however made him look up at her, he looked tired. He nodded rubbing his face in the process, realizing he was thirsty beyond reason. "I'll be back." She murmured, seeing the same look of confused need on his face that her sister had had so many times before.

Somehow it felt good to be of some use… of the same use she could be to her sister. Sasuke had always been so distant until that moment.

_He just needs someone here… he has enough reasons to have nightmares. _

Running her hands slowly through her long hair she filled a cup full of cold water, listening to it's pouring and pondering her sudden situation.

She had gotten home no less than an hour ago, and had been getting ready for sleep when she first heard his cry. It would have been more frightening to hear in the middle of the night.

She had never heard Sasuke make such a noise of panic and pain before, and though the words escaped her she knew he had said something.

Rubbing her own face in worry and wariness she turned, heading up the stairs with the cool glass in her hand.

When she entered the room she heard from his washroom the sound of running water, and the splash of it. The light however was off. Slowly she peeked past the door frame, blinking.

In the haste of the movement she hadn't realized that he was wearing no shirt. The realization made all of her skin rise with goosebumps, recalling the grip with which he had held her.

Blushing furiously she gripped the door frame, biting her lip as she washed him splash his face again with water.

"S-sasuke?" she murmured softly, forgetting the 'kun'.

"Hn." He sighed. It was the same noise, only lighter, tired.

"H-here." She mumbled as he turned, walking from one dark room into the other. Gently he took the cup from her, looking at the ground still before downing the whole thing. Hinata watched silently, unsure of what to do.

"…arigato." He mumbled, putting the cup carelessly on his dresser and turning to sit at the corner of the bed again, letting his head drop onto his hands, letting out a sigh.

"Gomen…I just…" he sighed, rubbing his face tiredly.

Hinata bit her lip, feeling pity rise up in her so fast it almost hurt. He had been so alienated… it had never occurred to her how he bore the burden of his murdered parents and clan.

This was part of how, she supposed.

Clenching her jaw and steeling herself she sat down beside him, forcing her mind to see him with the same eyes as she saw her sister.

…somehow it was harder than she could have supposed. He was vastly different…

"I-I w-will stay. I-i-if you need me too." She forced herself to say, clenching her hands on her knees as she said it.

Sasuke saw the motion out of the corner of his eye and almost flinched. She was forcing herself, but his need for another presence was too great to be over looked. The idea of her leaving filled him with dread.

Memories of waking, startled, confused and terrified and worse… alone came rushing back.

If she left he would feel that way.

He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of what so instead he nodded slowly, letting out a long sigh of wariness and confusion, still dazed. He had been sweating feverishly throughout the whole time he slept, and he thought perhaps he was ill. The run in the rain might have caused that, and also perhaps the fact that he had not changed from his soaking clothes.

Hinata smiled suddenly, feeling something odd in her chest. Perhaps relief that he was nodding, relief that he did want her there… she had not expected that sensation.

Figuring she would have been worried all night long if he didn't allow her to stay, she stood again, deciding to take charge the way she would have if he were Hanabi.

"It i-is late. P-perhaps you s-should try t-to sleep some more." She suggested, pulling the covers so that they straightened again.

Sasuke looked up at her, watching her silently for a moment.

It surprised him that she wouldn't ask what the dream was about. But Hinata had never pried into the dreams of others, not once.

That was because under all circumstances she wouldn't allow anyone to pry into her own dreams. Those were hers to share with only herself… the images and thoughts of her subconscious were dear to her. No one should share those without their own consent.

"Did I startle you?" He asked suddenly, watching her freeze from spreading out his covers, breathing in a scent that she thought was definitely his, completely unaware of her own jasmine mixed in with the scent that lingered on him and she could never identify.

"…a l-little." She murmured, turning to look at him hesitantly then looking down sharply. "Demo… I-I was just…w-worried."

They were silent for a moment, each trying to figure out what to say next until he stood, rummaging in his dresser for a shirt.

Relief flooded her, along with the heat of her usual blush. It had made her even more tense knowing he was shirtless, now perhaps she could talk to him without fearing too hot a blush.

He stumbled over to the bed, dropping onto it while slipping the dark shirt over his head, noting that she had sat by the bed, resting her head on her arms, watching him because she thought he wasn't watching her.

More glad than he had expected at her company he lay back down, staring up at the ceiling, feeling both childish and satisfied…and frightened.

The lightening kept flashing through the room and the stillness, and as he listened he realized she was dozing, in an out of sleep as the flashes came, her breathing told him so.

_I should let her go… she is tired. She will be sore in the morning. _

But he didn't, too selfish to do so, the memory of the sharingan eyes still fresh in his mind. Slowly he turned on his side, watching her sleepy face without much shame. She was half asleep and seemingly unaware.

Perhaps it was because he could hear her breathing so much closer than across the hall that allowed him to forget if only for a few minutes the nightmare, and concentrate fully on the fact that this girl was there, and didn't look as though she were leaving.

With those thoughts in mind he felt his eyes begin to close and his senses become dulled.

Too tired to fight it, despite the sickening sensation of fear he allowed sleep to crawl over him like a blanket and was soon again dreaming.

As soon as his breathing slowed Hinata's eyes opened, glittering with awareness and surprise… and curiosity.

Laying her head down on the bed she studied him, sleeping with a small frown between his brows and a downward turn of his mouth. Whatever had been hunting him in his dream before seemed to be lingering at the corners of his mind on this one.

Letting out a soft breath she settled down again, ready to spend the night sitting there, listening.

Somehow, the thought didn't bother her, and soon enough she was asleep, worn from the day and from the chat she had had to endure with Sakura.

It would all have to wait until morning.

* * *

There was something warm and soft…and comforting in his hand. When he was much younger, perhaps three or four he recalled having a small plush bunny that he had held each night until he turned five and his father had said he was too old for such things, removing the soft object from the grip of his young son.

Sasuke had not cried for it. He had watched it taken away and imagined it's fate. His childish mind figured that it would be given to some other child that needed it, and was young enough and allowed to have it.

Itachi had smirked as his brother stated what he thought would ultimately be the truth. Somehow the smirk had been enough to set Sasuke's mind straight.

The plush bunny was probably somewhere in the garbage. He had never wanted anything warm to hold in his bed since then.

But somehow, the softness of the thing in his hand made him want to stay in bed longer, a rare occurrence.

Even without the fear of nightmares he did not sleep more than he needed to. It was like asking the bloody awful things to enter his mind.

But for the moment he was quite willing to stay there, holding the small soft and warm object.

Curiosity however, is a human trait that cannot be ignored and he couldn't help but open his eyes, if only a little, despite the disturbingly bright sunshine pouring in through the wide glass of his window.

And sure enough his gaze revealed to him the truth of what he held.

A delicate small hand. Hinata's hand, of course. She was using her arms as a pillow, and somehow her hand was in his, not gripping but it looked like she had at one point.

Startled, and now fully awake Sasuke moved to retrieve his hand, then froze before moving, realizing the action would probably wake her.

_Shit… shit shit, she must be so tired, and so sore. Why did I ask her to stay, I'm not a bleedin' child._

Frustrated with himself he stared at her hand, frowning and wondering just how to let go without her noticing.

Bracing himself he decided to just pull back, feeling the panic of being held down, being chained. He pulled his hand away and watched as her eyes clenched tighter, against the bright light as she sat up, rubbing her face slowly with her free hand.

"Nani?" she mumbled groggily, recalling sharply the events of the night before and the fact of where she was.

She was blushing as she lowered her hands, staring at the covers forcefully as if wishing she could melt into their softness and vanish.

Her legs however were numb from the position in which she had sat all night and her arms were sore, forcing her to flinch and let out a sigh that in turn forced him to look at her, guilty with her pain.

"Gomen… you shouldn't have had to stay all night."

The heat around her face intensified, but she paid it no mind. There was still a weak tone in his voice. Though he was back to what she figured was 'normal' he was still sore mentally from the stress of sleeping through a nightmare infested night.

"I didn't mind." She mumbled sleepily, pushing herself up slowly, wincing when her legs shuddered under her.

Her eyes turned to the window and the patch of bright blue sky that met her. The sun was out and shinning, with the sound of the sparrows and what she supposed were nightingales singing in the courtyard with the sakura tree downstairs.

She really loved that tree…

Smiling in a very 'older sister' fashion she turned to him and though she didn't meet his eyes there was more strength in her demeanor.

"W-would you like some breakfast?"

Sasuke stared, completely confused by the fact that she was taking this all so calmly. Hinata was the girl who couldn't talk without stuttering, couldn't look at anyone in the face without blushing, who was clumsy, silent and shadowy it a best, hidden by the shinning glory of everyone else.

She wasn't the one that rescued him from his nightmares…

_To whom do you run?_

"Yes, arigato." He stated suddenly, turning away with a frown on his face. Hinata seemed to miss the expression as she nodded, walking out the door, pulling her hair into a braid as she did so.

She was too unsure of the feeling it gave her to walk out of his room so early in the morning as if it was normal to have slept there.

All she really knew was that it was strange.

* * *

The house was alive with the smell of food again, and recalling that he had not eaten last nights dinner he felt the pang of hunger that being deprived of good food could give.

Half groggy from the lack of sleep and unpleasant memories he sat down at the counter, sipping his coffee and glancing out the window at the bright day.

They weren't going to train that day. He had decided that already. She was probably sore from having sat by the bed all night and he couldn't even move without feeling the strain. He was sick, he was sure of it, there was the tickling feeling of a sore throat starting at the base of his neck and the plugged ears that stated it would be a bad one.

Hinata on the other hand seemed to have showered upon returning and had escaped the possibility of catching the murderous cold that the rain could give.

She was humming as she worked, something he had realized she did when she was thinking about something so hard that she forgot he was there. He was slightly insulted at first, having never felt that he was easy to forget, but considering that he spoke so little he supposed it made sense.

And the humming was interesting to listen to anyway, none of the melodies she seemed to be using were familiar to him at first. The first month he was sure she was making them up, but as the days went by he realized they were all the same and could recognize each one.

He never bothered to wonder what each one represented when it came to her thoughts.

Finally finished cooking the hash browns she turned around and placed his plate in front of him, settling down across from him as usual, sipping her tea.

She had not changed from her extra large t-shirt and shorts. Somehow he knew she was aware that they weren't going to do training.

"Tsunade has requested that I lead the security team for the upcoming Chuunin exams." He stated bluntly, watching for her reaction.

There was no other way really to say it. He knew she had been wondering what his business was before and since he didn't talk like the others he couldn't really just smoothly place the conversation where he wanted to deliver the news.

It was as though the nightmarish night had made him more aware of his every defect in comparison to the others… It was irritating.

Hinata blinked repeatedly, looking at him over the rim of her tea. "O-oh!" she stopped, trying to think of something else to say, but all she could think of was how surprised she was… and worried.

What if he couldn't train her as a result…

"We're going to have to reschedule our training sessions." Sasuke continued, fiddling with his food but eating little of it despite his hunger. His stomach had not settled from it's tenseness of the night before. He wasn't feeling up to eating too much.

Hinata cocked her head in thought, looking out the window nervously. They really needed her at the clinic, maybe it was a good thing that he was going to be busy-

"You'll be coming along."

She froze, staring at the sky outside as if it were the cause of her shock. Slowly she turned to look at him again, startled enough to stare right at him.

He looked back, enjoying the view of her eyes for the first time.

_They're so big… _He realized, a little surprised.

Suddenly aware of the fact that they had been staring at each other Hinata looked down, coloring like a quickly ripening strawberry. _What was that?_

"Ne." she began, bumping her fingers together. "I…a-am needed?"

"Hn." He smirked, hiding it with his coffee cup.

"Oh." She blinked repeatedly at the table. "Okay."

"The first meeting is in a few hours. You should get ready." He stated, sounding bored, back to his normal self completely, she supposed.

She figured they would forget the incident the night before, and the fact that he had grabbed onto her hand as if he were to fall of a cliff and never return, and the fact that her hand was sore and bruised from his grip.

She hadn't let go, for some reason. It didn't even occur to her to let go, despite the pain of his iron grip.

Smiling, because she was needed in such an elaborate and important activity like the security for the Chuunin exams, she stood, putting the last of her toast in her mouth and beginning to undo her hair, right at the table.

Sasuke started in mild surprise, watching the cascade of black fall around her shoulders like dark blue ink.

"I'll g-go get r-ready." She stuttered, running her hands through the long strands to rid of the knots as she stood.

"Hn." He replied.

Hinata blinked at him as she turned to leave, surprised by the fact that he had replied at all.

Obviously it was going to be a very interesting day indeed…

* * *

**So… I realize that the style is a little different… It felt a little more choppy, kinda- flowery too…**

**I'm not sure I like it, but it will go away soon anyway, as soon as I stop reading. Lol. Um… let me know what you guys think. **

**Wow… I'm a lil worried.**

**Ne. Be nice and polite please. Arigato.**

**Read.Review. **

**-ink**


	16. Chp 7: Impossible

**Yo, guys **

**So I have a spare block in the middle of my school day and lately I've been forced to use it for school work, but I've come to realize that I do school work when I'm in the middle of working on my fanfic at home, therefore my free block will now be in the full power and reign of my fanfic ((does a happy lil dance)) **

**SO. **

**Thank so you so much for each review, you're all awesome! And I'm considering starting to post some of my original stuff on (still considering though) once I post it, give it a look, ne? Let me know if I really suck, lol **

**Read.Review. **

**-Ink **

**

* * *

**

"What is the meeting going to be about?" Hinata asked Tenten softly, standing just at the foot of the stairs of a very impressive looking building behind her. The headquarters for the security team were always moved during the time between each Chuunin exam, to make sure that the enemy they were fighting to keep under control didn't know where to look for all their information. However Hinata thought this to be a completely useless attempt seeing as the buildings were always so disturbingly huge and grand.

Tenten gave her a smile. For some time now Hinata had felt a lot like her little sister, it was as though they could be nothing other than that. And for some odd reason that made Hinata smile widely, glancing at her cousin when he was in the room.

However Neji was not present. He was the only one of the team assembled for the security group that was gone. Tenten had explained to Sasuke and Naruto that he had a clan obligation he had to attend to.

They had not asked about it, though Naruto had made some very expressive faces.

And even if he had been present, she wasn't sure she would have been able to look at him with the same friendly expressions as before. Something about the way things had happened during her exile from her own clan had changed her view of her cousin. Despite his look of guilt the last time she had seen him, which was months ago there was something hard festering in her heart whenever she thought of him. It was like a splinter, making missing his presence almost impossible.

Despite it often times she felt she should be saddened, depressed even by her situation though she never was. There was always something else to be doing, something to be feeling and concentrating on.

At that moment it was Sasuke, silently forcing everyone to look at him with complete focus and understanding that the meeting was going to start.

They talked, sitting around in front of the building like any other idle group of teenagers would, but few teenagers sat around planning out strategic ways of keeping deadly enemies from killing the population of their warrior village.

Very few indeed.

It didn't last very long, only a few hours and then about half an hour to inspect the building they would be using as their headquarters. Though most of the team nine was being very professional during the viewing of HQ Shino and Kiba came around to talk to Hinata, chattering on about how odd it was train without her there to help them and laugh at their strange antics.

Sakura remained withdrawn, sticking closely to Naruto's side, avoiding her gaze completely and only smiling when Sasuke's gaze flickered over her.

Hinata made a point to pay her no mind... though the memory of what had happened the night before came back, before she arrived at home to hold Sasuke in his distress.

_What has happened to me? _Hinata wondered out loud, looking thoughtfully at her hands. They weren't as smooth as they had once been, but they were stronger.

And she had come to the realization the night before... that they did not want to be held by Naruto.

* * *

_"I was wondering if you would be willing to come with me to get some coffee." Sakura muttered as they signed the last few articles that needed the attention of the top two kunoichi in the clinic. _

_"Or perhaps something stronger." the med nin admitted, feeling like she could use some sake. _

_Hinata did not reply, recalling Sasuke's warning earlier that morning about Sakura wanting to talk to her about something. For some reason the comment about liquor made her stomach clench uneasily. The nerves were unusual... for it was after all Sakura-chan she was talking to. _

_Was it possible she was afraid of what was going to happen?_

_"S-sure." Hinata nodded, forcing a smile on her face as she glanced nervously at her old companion. "I-it has been a l-long time, since I l-last ate or drank with y-you."_

_Sakura had only nodded, eyes focused on her clipboard. "All right. I'll get my stuff."_

_It was only a few minutes before they were out the door and a few more before they were both at the Ramen Shop. It was late enough that Naruto was not there, and only a few people were around, chatting idly, sleepily. The rain had continued to pour straight through their work shift, and they were soaked to the skin. _

_Hinata ordered tea, looking down at the clear liquid that would bring her freezing skin warmth, listening to the shower of the rain and the lightening striking repeatedly. _

_She felt like she needed to get home soon, but for some reason she knew also that whatever Sakura wanted to say would not be something unimportant. Slowly she glanced up at her friend, who had been staring at her with sorrowful green eyes. _

_"I want to apologize, Hinata..." Sakura began, looking at her cup of coffee. She had not ordered sake yet, but that would be on the way. She could already feel her body craving the warmth it would bring and the pain it would cause as it slid down her throat. _

_Hinata did not look up, freezing at the sound of an apology. She had heard them before, but they had been mild. This time she felt as though she deserved the apology, for what Sakura had thought of her. The fact that her best friend had assumed she would do something as evil as steal away the one who she wanted… and taint herself with the lust. _

_ She had the urge to say it wasn't okay, but didn't, instead she kept looking down at her tea, unsure of what to do. _

_"I... think I'm falling in love with Naruto." Sakura stated bluntly. _

_Hinata felt the tension snap across her shoulders. Slowly, deliberately she looked up at her friend, meeting her eyes without fear, only shock, disbelief... and confusion. _

_"N-n-nani..." the word was useless in her mouth and in her ears. Her whole sense of awareness had vanished. _

_Sakura sighed at her expression, reaching out to grab her hand. "Hinata... I'm sorry... I know how you feel about Naruto, but lately I've just... it might just be a crush, a fling, you know? But... he's just always..."_

_Hinata stared at her hand, gripped in Sakura's own. The manicured nails of the other girl contrasted sharply with her own plain ones, snapped in places and ink stained fingers. _

_"...oh." she began, trying to find the words to explain what she was feeling, but the truth was that she had no idea. There was a huge empty space in her chest where the emotion was supposed to be. _

_"I know... I'm sorry- and I.." Sakura sighed, rubbing her face. "I'm sorry."_

_Slowly Hinata pulled her hand back, staring at the ink stained fingers and broken finger nail thoughtfully. "It's okay." she stated, not sure if she meant it or not. _

_The strange feeling of emptiness continued in her chest. She felt vaguely like she had to get something in there, something that was supposed to fit..._

I should be feeling utterly miserable... angry even... scared? She's taking Naruto away, that's what she's doing... taking him away.

_Her eyes lifted up to Sakura's face and the expression there. _

Or is she doing this to get me back for being around Sasuke so much...

_"I'm okay." she stated, shocked at the sound that left her lips. It was cold, flat, a biting snap that made Sakura's eyes widen slightly in surprise. The pink haired nin pulled back slightly, unsettled by the tone, the threatening edge to the voice. _

_"Okay..." Sakura began, letting her hands drop to her lap, unable to hold the pale eyed stare of the girl across from her. Hinata stood suddenly, putting down a few coins for her tea, picking up her bag slowly, her hands were steady but somehow she felt like they shouldn't be. _

_"I'm actually okay." she nodded, realizing that at least for the moment, she was fine. Somehow the emotion she was feeling was something almost like... relief. _

_Giving Sakura a last smile she nodded, it was weak, almost half hearted. Sakura didn't know what to think. It was so unlike Hinata, her gaze was steady and yet... there was obviously something happening within her. _

_Letting herself shrug slightly Hinata pulled the bag onto her shoulder and turned around, stepping out into the pouring rain, letting it fall around her silently for a moment. _

It's okay for me to let go... isn't it?

_Nodding to herself, unable to keep that odd smile from tracing her lips she began to run, under the dark sky, the pouring rain tickling her as it pelted down on her. _

_Naruto had just drifted, like the rain that would vanish from one moment to the other without you even realizing it... her mind had been so focused on other things, so curious about other things..._

_Now, she just needed to focus completely and without guilt on those things. No more wondering, no more feeling the odd twisting feeling in her chest when she saw him. The relief was amazing, like a whole world had been lifted off her shoulders. _

_"...I'm free..."_

* * *

"Hinata and Sakura have been assigned the positions of vice-captains." Sasuke muttered, glancing through the pale folder in his hands sent by Tsunade. Hinata snapped out of her day dream to stare at him, her eyes flickering over to Sakura who had also looked up, sitting just under Naruto who was on a step higher than her.

"Heh!" Naruto smirked, glancing down at Sakura who blinked back at him cutely.

Hinata stared at them for a moment, despite the fact that she somehow felt nothing for Naruto anymore it made her slightly ill to see Sakura grinning at him like that. Vaguely puzzled by her own irritation she looked away and froze at the sight of Sasuke looking at her thoughtfully, as if sizing her up.

A wave of bashfulness washed over her and she turned red, blinking back at him a moment before glancing away, rubbing her hands along her thighs to get rid of the sweat before it started.

"Wow." Tenten started, glancing at Hinata with wide eyes. "You're appointed as a vice-captain, Hinata-chan!"

"...h-hai." Hinata smiled weakly, unsure if she was glad or not. She wasn't sure she was ready for such a position. What would she do? What if she made a mistake, if they went into battle and the others looked at her for guidance would she be able to give it...

"I think that's enough for today, ne?" Naruto called, leaning back against the step above him, sounding bored. "I can't really take more talk about...whatever the hell it is we're talking about- Akatsuki or whatever." he muttered, truly irritated by the topic.

Sasuke grunted, too impatient to try to get him to realize the importance of the conversation. Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino and the others were all being a good enough group to deal with.

"Fine. We'll continue again tomorrow, same time." He mumbled. Naruto grinned. "Sounds good to me. I'm starving."

"Yeah, we didn't get any breakfast." Sakura admitted, standing up along with him. Sasuke ignored them, moving to gather the papers that were lying around on the steps, with Naruto as co-captain he was more than certain to have to take care of most of the paper work. The baka could hardly keep track of his own head let alone other things.

Hinata stood as well, heading towards Sasuke to help him with the stuff when Tenten and the others moved in to talk to her. "How have you been, Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked, giving her his wide smile. "We've all missed you!" Tenten nodded. "You haven't been around; your company is greatly missed." Shino stated softly.

Hinata stared at them all, wide eyed and surprised. "Oh- ano! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that I- well I just... I'm sorry." she smiled weakly. "I-I have been training, I-I t-think I'm g-getting stronger e-everyday...ne, Sasuke-kun?" she turned, watching Sasuke turned to look at them sharply, giving away the fact that he had been listening to the conversation.

"Hn." He nodded, studying the papers in his hand after a moment. The others blinked, surprised by the familiarity with which Hinata spoke to the cold Avenger.

Hinata turned to the others and smiled, knowing full well that the "Hn." was a full agreement with her comment.

Tenten, Shino and Kiba just blinked at her for a moment, puzzled and surprised.

"We must go." Sasuke stated after another moment of silence, watching equal confusion cross Hinata's features at their own puzzled faces. She couldn't understand what was so confusing.

"Oh- h-hai!" she nodded, picking up her training bag and turning to the others, giving them a short bow. "Bye! I-I hope I see you later!"

Sasuke glanced back, waiting for her to follow. Together they turned and headed down the path, neither of them paying either Sakura or Naruto much attention before leaving.

The rest of the Rookie Nine, minus Neji stared after them with confused faces.

"...hey... is it just me or..." Tenten began, glancing at Lee, shocked.

Lee looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin. "I would agree, Tenten-chan, I believe perhaps there is something of the beauty of youthful attraction there."

Silence weighed over the rest of the group for a moment.

"Sasuke?" Kiba started finally, coughing out the word.

"And Hinata?" Ino gasped, looking wide eyed at the others.

Together, they all started laughing, Sakura giving a weak grin that was faltering... unsure if she should be smiling at all. What if it was true?

"That's so impossible." Tenten laughed, flipping kunai on her finger. "How weird would that be?" she smirked, giving Lee a tug on the sleeve. "Anyway, we'd better go and find Neji to let him in on the happenings of the meeting, ne? See ya guys later!"

Slowly the group dispersed, and Sakura followed Naruto, who was chatting good naturedly about what he wanted for breakfast. It seemed she was the only who had noticed or would allow herself to notice the almost invisible thread of attachment that was starting to form between the two distant shinobi...

_I don't know that I should feel so torn... but I do. _She sighed, making Naruto turn to look at her with a frown. "Hey... are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

She blinked and then nodded rapidly, brightening up immediately. "Oh hai! Of course! You know what, I think I might have something like a blueberry muffin, ne?"

Naruto nodded, still unsure if she was okay or not, but deciding to ignore it for the sake of the rest of the day he continued on with his chatter.

* * *

For the longest time they didn't say anything, and Hinata just watched the road, pondering over the events of the day before, and of the awkwardness of the morning. The last few days had been so strange, she could hardly fathom how she was managing to deal with it.

"W-will we be training today, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata enquired softly, looking around at the bright day. the rain seemed to have washed away the rest of winter's grasp, leaving behind a fresh new spring, complete with it's own share of twittering birds, flowers slowly blooming, green grass and handfuls of butterflies that seemed to have taken to following her around.

"No." he replied calmly, recalling the fact that she had not slept very well, if at all the night before. "You have a free day."

Hinata blinked, a bit puzzled. She hooked her arm behind her back, biting her lip as she walked. She didn't know what to do, there wasn't anything planned, and she wasn't needed at the clinic until later in the afternoon. It was hardly midday yet.

"Hnn." she muttered, unaware of having used his noise of vaguely irritated agreement.

Sasuke glanced back, looking half amused. "Hn?" he asked, before he could stop himself. Hinata looked up rapidly, blinking at him. "...nani?"

"You said..." he began, and then realized how strange that would be to say, so he stopped and just looked at her as they walked. Hinata colored rapidly, unsure of what he meant and whether or not she was being asked something.

"Ano..." she said suddenly, looking down at the ground as they walked, determined to change the subject, and save them both from the awkwardness.

"...ano...a-are you doing s-something, today?"

Sasuke frowned, puzzled. "No." he continued to walk, stuffing his hands in his pockets. After a moment of silence he added. "Why?"

"Oh! Well I... d-don't have a-anything t-to do until later and I... don't know..." she finished lamely, so red she thought her heart would stop from lack of blood. That and the combination of being sick from the butterflies made talking hard.

Sasuke just eyed her thoughtfully. _Is she suggesting she wants to do something? Or is she just bored?_

"Ne...d-do you t-think..." she began, twisting her hands in front of her. "...d-do you think m-maybe y-you c-could come w-with me?"

Sasuke finally stopped, hand on the doorknob of the house, blinking at he as she stuttered out her invitation. He studied the ground for a moment, pondering if he should...

_"I need you to teach her confidence."_

"Where are you going?" he looked up, watching as she refused to look him directly in the eyes.

"Oh... ano... I-I don't actually... know."

"Hn."

Hinata shrugged, a motion he had not seen her do before. He frowned slightly; it looked awkward on her shoulders. "...ano... y-you don't have t-"

"I'll come."

Hinata blinked, turning to look at him in surprise. "Oh!" she stated, unable to think of anything else to say. He let go of the door, stuffing his hands in his pockets, looking at her patiently.

"W-well I d-d-don't e-even know w-where-" she began, blushing furiously at the frank look in which he looked at her.

"Come then." he shrugged, stepping back down onto the road.

The little kunoichi blinked, looking utterly stunned with what she had just done. But curiosity was a strong human force and quickly she followed. He had not stopped to wait for her and so she had to jog to catch up to him. The walk was mainly quiet, and when she thought he wasn't looking she snatched odd glances at him, wondering just what he was thinking.

Sasuke resisted the urge to smirk slightly. It felt good to be out for no good reason, though it was a little odd to have her around, truth be told it was making him nervous. He felt his stomach clench uncomfortably and wondered if he was maybe a little ill, but he said nothing about it.

It didn't even cross his mind to say anything. The very idea made him feel the heat start around his neck and ears. The sensation was so unfamiliar that he couldn't place it. Bothered slightly by it he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, ruffling his own hair on the way.

Hinata felt something tug at the corner of her mouth while watching the motion.

_...that's so cute-what?_

Her eyes widened, focusing on her feet sharply, looking away.

_What? What did I just..._

Suddenly he was turning away from the street, into the bushes, through a tiny path that led into one of the parks near the old academy. Hinata blinked, following him through the small trail. It looked like it was used often enough, but it was obviously not well known because it wasn't worn down enough.

The light from the sun was pouring in through the branches, past the trees. She could hear the sound of the river that was near the academy rushing by, closer than usual. Quietly Sasuke kept climbing up the incline and the shadows began to vanish as the trees dwindled away and gave way to the river bank.

The rushing water was out beyond a soft grassy bank, bushes of red roses and daffodil shoots dotted the moist soil, purple clumps of wild flowers were bunched everywhere else, all the other bushes covered in some sort of bright color.

Hinata's eyes widened, she stared at the sparkling water and the sheer seclusion of the area. She had never been there before. The dark trees and bushes made it look so uninviting...

Letting out a sigh of surprise she stepped forward, her hand up to the headband strapped around her neck, fiddling with it. "...it's so beautiful." she whispered, awed.

Sasuke watched her for a moment, then turned to look back at the river bank. He had found the place, a long time ago with his mother. Most of his days during the academy he spent here, during lunch if he could, and after school. Even in the winter it was beautiful, covered over completely in white snow.

The flowers however were his mother's doing... she had a love for growing things, something she had done only on the rare occasion that she had time. While he trained with shuriken and kunai she would work tirelessly on the soil, dotting it with small pebble-like things that he later understood would grow into the bright colored things that now spotted the area and made it so bright with color.

Hinata walked towards the river, crouching down to touch a daffodil, recalling suddenly the daffodil from the day before.

_I wonder if it's okay..._

"...my mother planted most of them." Sasuke stated suddenly, standing by, watching the rushing water of the river. The girl beside him looked up suddenly, stunned that he had said something personal.

"...they're all so lovely." she murmured, frowning as she turned to look back at the small things. They were so frail and yet they had survived the harshness of each winter even without their mother to look after them.

"I-I...am sure she was lovely too." she added, clenching her hands hard, remembering her own mother and the soft expression of her face.

Sasuke started, turning to look back down at her, his expression filled with some sort of emotion, but she wasn't sure what it was.

Hinata smiled weakly finally, feeling as though perhaps she would cry, but not wanting to in front of him. Somehow she didn't think it would be okay. So silently she sat down, pulling her knees in, watching the dancing flowers to the sound of the river's music and the wind.

Slowly Sasuke sat down beside her, looking thoughtful.

"I'm sure your mother was too." he stated after a moment quietly, turning to look at her. Hinata didn't turn to look back at him, but continued to stare straight forward, feeling despite her best attempts, the tears slowly dripping down her cheeks.

It was the same feeling she got when she beat herself down mercilessly during the nights of pain, using words so scalding that her heart ached. But somehow, this felt better, the tears weren't for her, it wasn't self pity. Somehow it was a mixture of pain for her mother, for his mother and for him.

"Hai." she whimpered, smiling despite the tears. "She was."

They said nothing else, but watched the river flow, the flowers dance and the clouds drift by. After all, there was nothing else to say...

* * *

**Done, keep in mind... i did this in broken sittings of like... half an hour each. it sucks, i know, but i tried, lol. it will be revised eventually. probably when i finish the story. **

**Read. Review. **

**-ink **


	17. Chp 8: Apology in Sweet

**Yo yo**

**hey guys, i just felt like i was dragging this part out too much, i need some new spicy excitement. so i will be posting the filler right after this, and it is just a flash back. this is the end of part two, part three will be a few months later. **

**Read. Review. **

**-ink**

* * *

Morning came, bright and shinning, Hinata rolled over in bed, staring up at the ceiling, which was made up of distinct rafters and shadows caused by the cool morning light.

She had had that same nightmare again, the one she had assumed would fade when she came to the realization that she no longer felt anything for Naruto.

Sighing softly she closed her eyes, day dreaming about the nightmare again, trying to see more clues that might explain why she was still having the torture come every few nights.

Throughout her childhood the dream had developed each year a new piece was added, like a puzzle whose pieces she had to locate.

Frustration gnawed at her mind for a moment before she finally shoved off the covers, pushing herself out of bed irritably.

She was tired, though she wasn't going to let herself admit it without a good solid struggle through the day. The night before at the clinic had been murderous and even Sasuke had enquired as to whether or not she was all right when she came back home, looking worn out.

She had been too tired to notice that the pale boy was possibly more pale than usual, and the fact that his voice was rough, as though he had coughed earlier. Absent mindedly she had headed up the stairs to change and crawl into bed, passing out within a few minutes.

Humming softly she opened the door, glancing across at Sasuke's room, and surprised to find the door wide open she stepped out, pulling her baggy t-shirt up on her shoulder.

A little worried and curious despite herself she stopped at the doorway, leaning in slightly, as if determined not to let her feet cross the barrier of the hall and his room.

The bed was unmade and messy, she couldn't see him but there were so many piles of blankets that he might be there anyway. The window was closed, though a crack in it's material allowed the sun to pass by, lighting up the mop of black hair that could be seen between the dark covers.

Stunned at the fact that the cold avenger was not up already doing push ups as was his usual routine, Hinata stepped in awkwardly, unsure if she should or not.

She often came into his room, to wash his laundry. The first time she did she asked him if it was okay, and looking at her with something like puzzled curiosity he had nodded.

But it was odd that she would be in 'his' room with him in it. The atmosphere was suffocating, even though she wasn't even sure as to why. It was just a room, after all.

She looked around as she approached the bed. There were several cups of water sitting around on the nightstand beside him, and tissues tossed in a garbage bin. She blinked repeatedly and then realized suddenly that he was sick.

Wide eyed and surprised that she hadn't thought of that on her own she turned around and began to slip out of his room wondering how she'd tell the others on the security team why neither of them had showed up at the meeting, then froze, staring at the crack of light coming in through the window and the fact that he was hiding his face under the covers.

_Hm._

Biting her lip she turned to look at the situation in hand. Sasuke was sick, apparently very sick considering he hadn't even been able to get up. She was quite willing to stay home again and do nothing. Her body was still sore from the work at the clinic the night before and sure enough she didn't want him to get any worse than he already was.

But the light coming in through the window would soon intensify as the sun rose to a peak, finally flooding the room in enough light to wake the sleeping shinobi.

She would have to close the curtains. Which sounded easy, certainly.

If only the window wasn't directly above the bed and where he lay.

Clutching at her thin strands of courage she slipped closer to the bed again, using the nightstand to keep her balance as she leaned over him, gripping the curtain and tugging the thick material so as to pull it across.

Sasuke shifted under the covers slowly, making her freeze. The light was cut off suddenly and she blinked in the near dark, looking down at the bundle that was her unlikely sensei.

However he had not moved again, after a soft sound like a sigh. Swallowing the knot of nerves she crouched, picking up the garbage bin of crumpled tissue and the half empty glasses of water, taking three with one hand. She stopped, glancing back at him thoughtfully.

She could see part of his cheek, and his brows, relaxed and certainly sleeping, judging by the steady rhythm of his breathing. The darkness of his ink black hair fell, outlining the contrast between his ivory skin and the darkness of his hair.

Biting her lip she turned away, puzzled by her own actions. Shoving the thought aside she slipped out the door quietly and down the stairs getting ready to tackle the list of things to do that had come up in the last few minutes. She had to get to the rest of the security team to let them know where they were, and she had to make something to eat.

Chicken soup was on the menu.

* * *

Sasuke woke to the sound of water rushing, from what he assumed was his bathroom. His thoughts were like giant slugs in his head, moving at a crawling slow pace.

Slowly and forcefully he focused on the one that had woken him, pissed off by the noise. _Okay… someone is 'in' 'my' bathroom…_

He frowned, rubbing his face with one hand, feeling his tongue in his mouth thick and dry, his throat clogged with the virus that had taken over his body.

Groaning, despite his best intentions to remain quiet, like a good shinobi should, he turned, reaching for any given glass of water by his bedside.

To his surprise there was only one, filled mostly. And his mess of tissues were gone, cleaned up and replaced by another box of tissues, unopened and an empty garbage bin.

Totally confused he sat up slowly, lest he move to fast and make his head ring horribly. Groggily he sat there, tangled in his own blankets, wearing more clothes than he ever did when sleeping. Sweat pants, a sweat shirt, a shirt underneath-he'd even be wearing gloves if he could, he was that cold.

The sound of the water in the bathroom stopped, and he could suddenly hear the humming that gave away the identity of the person. It was quiet, she was unaware of doing so, obviously.

He wasn't sure what to think. His first instinct was to be pissed off and ready to bark at her, for being in his room and for waking him up. But his head was pounding and instead he leaned over and grabbed the cup of water downing it all almost in one gulp, ignoring the fact that his throat was having a lot of problems doing so.

Hinata finally entered the room as he put the cup back, returning with an armful of towels- his towels, freezing at the sight of him sitting up.

"Oh!" she let out, the recognizable noise she made when she was surprised and didn't have a clue as to what to say.

Sasuke looked back at her for a moment, feeling odd in his rumpled and obviously ill condition.

"What-" he began and stopped, clearing his throat painfully, frowning as he did so, rubbing his face in the process.

"Oh geez." He sighed instead, his voice hoarse.

Hinata's small steps sounded and she was suddenly putting the towels down on his bed, walking over calmly. She took a small object out of her pocket- which he noticed belonged to the skirt she was wearing. He didn't think he'd ever seen her wearing a skirt before.

"H-here." She mumbled, extending her hand to him. He blinked, looking down at the little object in her palm. It looked like candy.

"It'll help." She added, noting the way he was eyeing it doubtfully. Not in any mood to complain or whine he took it, popping it in his mouth without another word, rubbing the sleep from his eyes warily.

Smiling, satisfied Hinata headed back to the pile of towels, picking it up smoothly. "I-I'm just washing t-these." She added, as she walked out the door. "T-they probably h-have the virus o-on them." And then she was gone.

Sasuke stared after her, completely confused. Sighing he pushed himself reluctantly out of bed, shivering despite himself as the covers fell away and he was wrapped in the coldness of his room.

He had thought that would be the last of her, but Hinata was suddenly back, stopping at his doorway, looking in cautiously.

"Nn… Sasuke-kun.. I m-made some s-soup." She mumbled, tapping her fingers together nervously. "Ano… I-I just f-finished so it's warm…"

The mention of food suddenly made him realize how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten dinner the night before… again.

"Hai." He forced out, nodding. Hinata brightened; giving him a smile she turned around and headed back down.

Licking his dry cracking lips he headed to the bathroom, determined to wash some of his fever, sweat and sleepiness off.

Of course he forgot completely that there were no towels.

* * *

(a/n: I am ridiculously evil…XD)

It wasn't long before Hinata noted that he hadn't come down, and a few minutes later she was back up the stairs, though hesitantly that time. She was almost sure that he had fallen asleep again, he had looked very tired, with dark circles under his eyes and cracking dry lips.

But when she entered the room he was nowhere to be found, though she could hear the water pouring in the bathroom, and thoroughly startled she realized he was showering.

The familiar heat washed over her as she stood there numbly, totally confused as to what to do.

All of the towels were being washed.

Fidgeting nervously she twisted her hands in her lap, biting her lips.

_Now what do I do? He must have forgotten… oh dangit…_

Nearing a moment of almost near panic an idea suddenly struck her and she turned to run to her room, still tense beyond reason and unsure of how exactly she would give him the towel.

She had half a mind to just leave her own towel at the door when she heard the sound of the water shutting off and then his slightly less hoarse voice stating quite irritably.

"…oh shoot."

The tension seemed to dissolve and suddenly Hinata was laughing, giggling so loud that Sasuke froze on the other side of the door, biting the inside of his cheek, but smirking anyway.

They were both red, but luckily there was a door in the way to keep either of them from knowing.

"Just hand over the towel." Sasuke called, but his voice sounded both irritated and amused.

Still laughing slightly Hinata faced the door, twisting her towel in her hands. "H-h-how?" she dared to ask, suddenly blushing harder than she ever had before.

There was silence as both of them tried to figure a way that wouldn't involve much awkwardness.

"I'll leave it here!" Hinata chirped suddenly, dropping the thing like a hot coal and rushing out the door before he came out so she could go wash her face and get rid of some of the pink.

Sasuke listened attentively until he was sure she was gone and then opened the door a crack, noting miserably that she had left the bedroom door open.

Mentally complaining to himself he snatched the towel and stepped back into the steam filled washroom, bring the cloth up to his face before realizing it wasn't one of his. This one was white…

He froze, looking at it thoughtfully. Her smell was all over it, and, biting his lip so hard he was sure it would bleed he looked side ways thoughtfully, clenching his jaw.

Being a boy… was hard…

Resisting the urge to 'think' too much he dried himself (faster than he ever had before) and changed into his clothes, shaking out the warm water from his hair.

He didn't have a clue as to what to do with the towel now, but the smell of soup distracted him.

Dropping it carelessly on his bed he started down the stairs, pulling a long sleeved black shirt over his head as he headed towards the kitchen.

The little nymph that had been making his life so hard of late appeared rather abruptly in the hall as she stepped out of the bathroom from having washed her face and the result was a very unlikely collision.

Hinata stepped backwards, feeling herself hit the wall behind her, closing her eyes tight she lifted her hands up to her face, something equivalent of misery washing over her in a big wave…. Along with the smell of Sasuke which she now knew so well, for he had her almost pinned to the wall, having caught himself last minute.

Trembling slightly, from the contact and the fact that neither of them were moving she looked up, freezing as his dark eyes caught her and held her. It wasn't about whether or not she had a choice to look away. It didn't feel like there was any such thing as choice.

Sasuke stared back, completely frozen in place. Everything about her being right there was making him hurt, from the fact that she was so small to the lavender and jasmine that lingered over her and her wide eyes staring at him with something like a mixture of confusion and surprise.

But he was surprised too, because he was having a very hard time pulling back.

A breath escaped him, letting the shock of the moment be both accented and shattered sharply.

He took a step back, shoving his sleeves up to his elbows from lack of anything else to do. Hinata stared at the ground, mouth open slightly, trying to form words.

Finally the beginning of the sentence finally reached her lips and she pushed away from the wall, walking down the hall as she said it.

"G-g-gomen- ano- the soup is on the kitchen t-t-table…"

…_he pulled away- but of course- what else did I expect him to…_

She stepped into the kitchen, her domain, despite it being his house. Touches of her were everywhere, the way the towels were folded, the handful of daffodils by the window, the cooking books piled on the counter, the soup simmering on the stove.

Letting out a breath to calm herself, and determined to pretend as though nothing had happened _Because nothing 'has' happened, come on…Hinata-get a grip... _she reached for a bowl, hands shaking, blinking rapidly at the movement.

Slowly she put it down, staring at the thick liquid of the soup, feeling his presence finally enter the room.

Biting her lip she turned around, setting the bowl there with a spoon, her eyes lowered, looking at anything but him.

Clearing her throat nervously she noted that he didn't sit, but stood, leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, as if waiting.

Finally, once she had ran out of things to put away and there was no escaping it she turned around, leaning against the counter opposite him, hands clenched in front of her. For a moment she just looked down at the ground, waiting for him to say something.

Frustration built up in her chest at his utter silence. Swallowing forcefully she looked up at him, her nails digging half moons into her palms.

"Nani?" she asked, sounding soft despite the fact that she was frustrated and confused and irritated, but somehow looking up at him made her feel better… it made her feel less like she had done something wrong, because he was looking to the side, lips pressed together into a thin line.

"Gomen." He stated suddenly, ruffling his hair lamely, licking his dry lips.

There was silence for a moment and she let her hands drop to her sides as she faced the next choice. She had to either ask 'for what' or say 'it's okay'.

Choosing neither she sighed, watching him look up slowly at her, still his same old confident self, same old cold avenger.

Except he was saying sorry, for something she didn't even understand.

Smiling weakly she shrugged, the motion feeling a little odd on her shoulders, but she couldn't take it back once it was done. Nodding slowly he sat down, watching her relax slightly.

"Ano… do you want t-tea? Or coffee?" She asked, cocking her head at him. He glanced up at her then, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

So it was okay… at least for now.

"Tea… I think." He replied, watching her surprise. He never drank tea, he liked coffee, it's dark rich bitter taste. But today he was in the mood to try something else.

Smiling again she turned and began to prepare it with steady hands, shrugging off the odd upset sensation that had been hanging over her head. Things were okay… if only for now.

"Ano…" she began, crushing the tea leaves in her bare hands, working them until they were very fine. "Why tea?"

Sasuke shrugged, even though she couldn't see, savoring each spoonful of hot soup.

"It's something new."

Hinata nodded, pouring the hot liquid. "Hai." That was enough of an answer for her.

* * *

**laaaame ending i think!**

**thank you so much for each review- please leave one!**

**yay!**

**read! review!**

**-ink!**


	18. Filler 2: Valentine's Day

**Heyo everyone, and welcome to FILLER NUMBER TWO!**

**Just a note, lol, I wrote this whole thing while listening to Girlfriend, by Avril Lavigne who I btw, don't like very much. I like the rhythm of the song, but I hate the lyrics so much. ((makes evil faces at Avril)) I just think they're cocky unfair lyrics. What if the girlfriend is really nice!? Like… Hinata for instance. ((evil grin))**

**Can you guys see where this is going?**

**Have fun reading! Put the song on if ya wanna, to get the full experience.**

**Read, Review, Enjoy!**

**-Inky

* * *

**

Hinata smirked up at Ino, stirring the tea thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're both so comfortable with each other." Ino smirked right back, glad that there was something like backbone in the way that Hinata was moving now, smiling with a tinge of higher authority. It was good to see.

"We're friends." Hinata retorted, laughing, the blush was there anyway. Nothing could get rid of that.

"Well yeah- hey… Uh, what did you guys do for Valentine's Day?"

Hinata almost rolled her eyes, but instead hid her face behind her hands. "Ino! It's n-not like that!"

"Aw, come on." Ino sighed, begging, pouting and full out puppy eyeing her friend.

"I hear something interesting happened, Sakura won't say though, cuz she says you forced her to swear on her life-"

"Okay!" Hinata cried suddenly, looking around nervously for possible eavesdroppers. Ino leaned in quickly, looking intently at her face. "What happened? Come on… please?"

Sighing, the blushing heiress stirred her tea, looking at her smiling reflection in her tea. "Okay… I'll tell you…" she smiled, looking up at her quickly. "I…was so involved in training, c-concentrated in the first few weeks that I-I didn't even realize it was Valentine's Day…"

The memory began to flood back, and she smiled again, remembering completely the hilarious reality of what had happened… and just how it had all started.

* * *

_It was a weird morning…. She didn't even understand why they were up so early. Sasuke rarely ever touched her outside of training. As a matter of fact, he hadn't touched her in training either of late, and all of a sudden he was in her room at three in the morning shaking her awake. _

_It was, to say the least the most surprising way to wake up possible. _

_Gasping Hinata threw her arm back, shocked by the sudden contact against her shoulder. Equally surprised was Sasuke, who fell back on his bottom in a lame attempt to dodge the possibly deadly elbow strike from the half asleep girl. _

_Hinata turned over and stared at him a moment, sitting beside her bed, looking vaguely miffed. _

"_Gome!" she gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth and mumbling the sound. "I-I didn't mean to-"_

"_Forget it." Sasuke waved her apology away, shoving himself to his feet lithely. "Hurry, we have to go."_

_Hinata didn't even ask, she just stumbled out of bed, his clothes were so big they made her look like she was swimming in dark colors as she scrambled to get her clothes. _

_He tried not to notice too much how cute it looked as he stepped out of her room and closed the door, walking downstairs quickly to find their gear and the leftovers from last night's dinner to take with them on their short trip out of the village. _

_There was no way in hell he was going to stay in Konohona, even with Hinata with the rabid fan girls of death walking around. _

_His initial plan of using the Hyuuga heiress as a way of bouncing the fan girls off of him had been tossed out the window the moment he realized she was getting more than evil glares whenever she was outside. With or without him didn't matter, Naruto had started to report loyally the many stories being circulated about the pale eyed shy little kunoichi. _

"_Well, I generally don't repeat things like what they're saying about her, but if you want to get the main idea, let's just say that the girls I heard it from got a good earful about how stupid I thought they were, and had they been guys I would have beat the living daylights out of them." Naruto muttered, sounding more pissed off than was average. _

_Sasuke had stared, realizing quickly the very negative situation that Hinata had unfortunately been shoved into. _

_Sighing he swung both his pack and hers over his shoulder, turning around to see her skipping down the stairs quickly, shoving her long hair into a braid. _

"_S-sasuke-kun." She began, not meeting his eyes but concentrating fully on making her hair stay out of the way. "I-I don't mind g-getting up so e-early, d-demo… why a-are we in such a h-hurry-" she began, biting her lip as she tied the braid down. _

_Sasuke turned, heading towards the door. "No reason." He replied lightly, lying flat out. Hinata gave his back a very odd look but followed anyway, putting her training wraps in her mouth as she continued to braid the other bunch of hair hanging by her neck. _

_Amused by her hurried little antics Sasuke waited until she was out the door before closing it and turning to lock it. Hinata stared, having never seen him do such a thing. _

_She struggled for a moment before taking the training wraps out of her mouth and starting to stutter out her surprise. "W-why lock i-it?" she blinked, rushing after his quick footsteps. _

_Sasuke shrugged in response, glancing back over his shoulder at her straining to wrap her wrists up. _

"_You never know."_

_Hinata just blinked back, rosy cheeked from his intense stare, but otherwise just confused. "Ano… h-hai."_

"_Let's go." He mumbled, turning around and ignoring the pink rising up on his own face. They were just passing the gate when a cry of what might have been harmonized voices echoed from the surrounding trees and mist. _

_Instantly the two ninja's fell into battle stance, Hinata's hands moving through to open her Byakungan. _

"_Saaaaaaassssuuuuukkkkeeeee-kun!" the voices sang. A group of girls walked out of the mist slowly, and it would have been impressive if it wasn't so bloody cliché. _

_Hinata blinked back at them, seeing only their glowing chakra points and the fact that there were just so many of them. _

_She counted quickly while Sasuke straightened in front of her, no longer threatened, but feeling more panicky than usual. _

_Fourteen? Hinata's eyes widened. And they're all girls?_

_The girls promptly fell into formation, the mist still swirling in dramatically around their ankles. Sasuke took a hesitant step back, revealing Hinata behind him, looking curiously at the girl's odd expression's of determination. _

"_S-sasuke- kun…?" she began, confused, getting a very very bad feeling. _

_The girls' focused rapidly on Hinata, their eyes locating their next target with predatory efficiency. _

_Hinata followed Sasuke's example and took a surprised step back, blinking rapidly at their narrowed eyes. _

"…_h-hello…" she began. _

_It was two seconds flat that it took for the girls to surround them both, shoving Sasuke one way, pushing Hinata the other way. _

"_Who are you?" One of the girls snapped, shoving Hinata hard. The disowned Hyuuga started, rubbing her shoulders where the vicious shove had driven. _

"_Me? I'm just-" she began, getting another shove from behind that would have sent her to her knees if she wasn't trained. _

"_Hey, hey." One of the girls started, pushing Sasuke straight into a tree. "I don't like your girlfriend." She smirked, leaning in close, making his eyes widen in surprise despite himself. "I think you need a new one."_

"_I could be your girlfriend!" A dozen different voices shouted suddenly._

_Hinata's eyes widened on the other side of the road where the shoves were continuing, making her hit the ground repeatedly. The sound of their comments was making her head hurt. _

"_She's like, so whatever, you could do so much better!" The girl continued, cuddling in close. _

_Sasuke just stared in complete shock. They think she's my girlfriend?!?_

_They think I'm his girlfriend!?! Hinata hit the ground in her surprise, feeling dirt as the girls moved to kick it over her, smirking broadly. _

"_S-stop it!" she gasped, curling into fetal position. _

_Sasuke suddenly caught sight of the rabble of girls. "Hinata?" he began, heart pounding horribly in his ears. Roughly he shoved the hands of the nearest girls away, searching frantically for the white eyed princess. _

"_Stop it!" her voice weaved through the louder cries of the other girls as they continued their comments. _

"_I think we should get together now!"_

"_I don't like your girlfriend!"_

"_I could be your girlfriend!" _

"_I know that you like me!"_

"_No way! No way!"_

"_Sasuke!"_

"_Fight them, Hinata!" He shouted, giving another violent shove at one of the girls. "Get off! Damnit!"_

"_Don't you know what I can do to make you feel all right?"_

_Hinata heard it, his voice struggling through the bodies of scantily clad girls. Where did they all come from anyway? She'd never even 'seen' any of them before. _

_Fight them? But what if I hurt-_

"_In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger, cuz I can, cuz I can do it better, there's not other, she's so stupid what the hell were you thinking?"_

_Stupid?_

_Hinata's eyes opened slowly, despite the dirt being kicked into her face, and the shoved and kicks that were being thrown at her in all directions. _

_Everyone is always… I'm not- I'm 'not' stupid! Not in comparison to-_

"_She's like… so whatever, you could do so much better!"_

_Their choruses of idiotic comments continued, shoving her in a pit. _

"_I'm not stupid!" Hinata shouted suddenly, rising up to a crouch. The other girls' mocking eyes met Byakugan. More irritated than she had been in months the Hyuuga heir shoved herself off the ground. _

"_Stop it!" she shouted. A pair of hands shot forward, ready to shove. Blinking at the slow motion she stepped to the side, watching the girl fall flat on her stomach, a cry of surprise leaving her lips. _

_The silence that met her ears was good. It was so satisfying. There was an instant addiction to that silence. It was a silence produced from awe. _

_Slowly she breathed in, lowering herself into a fighting stance. "There's no way…" She smiled at them. "..that you'll win."_

_The few ninjas that were amongst the group came forward. They were lower class, it was obvious, but ninjas none the less. _

_Sasuke shifted, throwing another one of the girls down, despite the calls from his inner 'mom' telling him that he should never lift a hand against a woman. _

_It was hard when they were 'all' lifting hands against him for crying out loud. Panting from the surprising strain he turned, glancing over his shoulder at the rabble of girls backing away from what he supposed was Hinata. _

_You had better be okay…_

"_He'd never go for someone like you." _

"_You're a sneaky little slut that's why he-"_

_Hinata didn't give them another moment to talk, ignoring their voices she shot forward, her Byakugan highlighting their vulnerable chakra points, opened to her rapid hands. _

_Spinning around she connected rapidly with the first dozen holes, slipping between the three kunoichi that had stepped forward. _

_Breathing in slowly still to control herself she crouched, swinging her leg hard and throwing them all to the ground in a sweep. _

"_Gomen!" she gasped, shoving herself to her feet and scrambling up, running rapidly towards Sasuke, who she realized she would have to protect. _

_He'd never hit a girl! He must be so panicked!_

_Surprisingly that wasn't far from the truth. Sasuke was once more pinned to the tree, hands over his chest, tugging at his clothing. _

_Holy God… what do I do!?_

_A God up there was obviously listening because a slightly out of breath Hinata appeared in front of him suddenly, looking a little ruffled up but other wise bright eyed and with what he thought might actually be a smirk gracing her usually timid lips. _

"_Quick!" she gasped, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Follow me!" _

_Shocked at the lack of stutter and the fact that she wasn't just smirking, she was almost grinning, he nodded following as she jumped up onto the tree. _

"_Ready?" she asked again, her hands flickering through some jutsu or other. He nodded again, looking down to see the girls already spreading out to catch them. _

_With a poof of smoke a pair of Hinata's appeared beside the original. The original looked back at him and smiled, that shockingly innocent slightly shy smile lacking in blush and nerves. _

_She was enjoying this…?!_

"_Let's go." He managed to say. Hinata nodded and watched as her copies dropped down from the tree and ran in opposite directions followed by the rabid fans. _

_Rapidly the two ninjas turned and started their escape, jumping from tree branch to tree branch. _

_Little did they know, it was just the beginning of a very long day.

* * *

_

"_W-what was that?" Hinata started as soon as they were back on the road, running still because they could hear the cries of the fans still. _

"…_fan club." Sasuke muttered, trying hard not to turn as red as she did when she was embarrassed. This was on of the few things that made him feel utter shame. _

_Hinata felt another smirk tugging at her lips and a laugh rising in her throat, but she contained it, rosy cheeked from the strain. _

_The whole situation was just so hilarious. They thought she was his girlfriend and were chasing because of it?_

"_I've never seen them b-before." She managed to say, glancing around as if they were on a spy mission through enemy territory. It looked like the ordeal on their street had taken about half an hour. The sun was still down and though there's the slightest hint of orange in the sky it was mainly the moon that lent the world light. _

_Houses were dark, their occupants sleeping peacefully. _

"_They only come out on certain occasions." Sasuke mumbled, scanning the right side quickly as well, more jumpy than usual. _

"_S-special occasions?" Hinata blinked, watching his face, only because he wouldn't look at her directly. _

_Thanks to the lack of light she didn't see his face light up horribly. "Valentine's Day."_

_Hinata almost tripped, but managed not to, catching her balance the last second. "Oh!" she gasped, lifting a hand to her lips nervously in the sudden realization that she had completely forgotten unlike every other year._

_Usually she gave Naruto-kun something for Valentine's Day, chocolate or something. But this year…_

"_There they are!" _

_Startled out of their mope-y thoughts the two spun around and stared at the stampede of high heels and short skirts heading their way. _

"_eep!" Hinata cried. Sasuke grabbed her wrist and spun around, dragging her along. "Run!"_

_They slid to a stop in the first corner and turned. Catching sight of what looked like a warehouse with an open door Sasuke dragged the still surprised Hinata into the darkness of the room and turned around to slam the garage-style door down, locking it into place and stepping back as if there were zombies on the other side. _

_Only their heavy breathing could be heard in the silence for a moment, and then the sound of chattering as the girls ran by. It came and faded. _

_In unison they let out soft sighs and collapsed onto the ground. _

"_Happy Valentine's Day." Sasuke grumbled, mainly to himself, but Hinata heard, and out of nervousness couldn't help but start laughing. _

_Smirking slightly he settled down on a random box, rubbing his face. "We'd better get comfortable… They'll be back."_

_Hinata just nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Hai."

* * *

_

"_Find them!"_

"_He has a girlfriend." A scantily clad prep muttered, looking more and more like a vicious dog. (unintended pun…sorta)_

_They had hit the middle of town and had actually been searching for hours now. The sun was up already, people were wandering the streets, glancing nervously at them and then looking away when their steely eyes met. _

_The leader of the group was a redhead. She had once been Sakura's rival after Ino and she joined forces. _

_She stood in the city center, watching the stores open up, decorated happily in reds and pinks with Happy Valentine's Day balloons floating in the cool morning air and happy voices exchanging the customary salutation of the day of love. _

_Wearing a short skirt over training wraps that reached up her thighs and a low cut red V-neck, she was obviously the center of the rabble of girls searching the slowly growing crowds for the much adored Uchiha. _

_Her long red hair was loose, the way Sakura used to wear hers, and bright green eyes were glazed in thought. _

"_We need a system." She muttered, nodding towards her little secretary, who had long black hair, as stated the Uchiha Fan Club Code of Conduct paragraph two line four. _

_The little black haired girl had a clipboard a pen ready, looking expectantly at their adored leader. "Hai? Misa-san?"_

"_Get into groups of three, spread them out in sectors." _

_Elegantly she spun around, pulling a huge map of the city out of thin air. With a bright red lipstick she scribbled very squiggly lines over the entire village, labeling each one 'sektor' 1, 2 and so on. _

_The dark haired assistant lifted a hand, wide eyed as the Misa-san spun around confidently, waving her hand at the map. "FOOL PROOF!!"_

"_Er… Misa-san… Sector is spelt-"_

_With a sigh the redhead grabbed the clipboard, hitting the assistant over the head with it. "Get going!"_

_With a very formal salute the girls clicked their high heels and lifted a hand, Hitler style. "Hai! Misa-taichou!"_

_Said captain waved her hand absently, turning around to draw a lopsided heart with the words 'Misa+Sasukelovers forever'_

"_I'll find you… Sasuke-kun." She whispered, staring evilly at the heart and it's desperate words. _

_The dark haired assistant allowed herself a sweat drop behind the captain's back.

* * *

_

_It wasn't exactly Hinata's fault that she had fallen asleep. Being in complete silence is such a dark room with nothing to do at three in the morning did that to some people. _

_Despite her best attempts to stay awake, she had curled up on one of the boxes next to Sasuke and it wasn't long before she was breathing in and out softly, making him bend down to check if she was indeed asleep. _

_It didn't bother him, really, but it did make him nervous. If they suddenly arrived and she was asleep he'd never be able to get her to wake up fast enough to get her out of there without ending up with something like make up or worse, boxes of chocolate thrown at him. _

_But he was impressed, despite his best intentions, by the fact that she could stand up to things as scary as the rabid fan girls of doom. _

_They had been hunting him since he was old enough to walk and no one had managed to face them off, even Naruto had given him a pat on the shoulder the first time and said quite sadly. _

"_I'll hopefully see you later, Sasuke-teme."_

_Wrinkling his nose at the memory Sasuke grumbled "Dobe." And leaned back, starting in surprise as his hand brushed Hinata's. _

_He blinked down at her as she shifted, curling up tighter in the cold. Resisting the urge to take off his jacket he turned back to the door, paying close attention to the sounds outside. He had other things to worry about.

* * *

_

_Sakura skipped down the street happily, carrying in her arms two lilies and a box of chocolates. _

_She was heading towards the ramen shop where she assumed the dobe was having breakfast. Smiling she froze, staring at the crowd of girls at the center of the intersection squabbling with one another. _

"_We already CHECKED over there, dang it!" one of them growled, pointing down a random street. _

"_How would you know? You don't even know up from down!"_

"_Shut up! What are you doing here anyway; Sasuke wouldn't even look at you! That white eyed slut he was with is even prettier than you!"_

"_What?! You stupid little-"_

_Along with a very confused looking bunch of people Sakura slipped away, glancing back nervously at the group. She knew them… had been arguing with them for years and after deciding to approach Sasuke in a different fashion had come to realize the very frightening factor that being a fan girl added to your personal list of descriptive words. _

_But they had spoken of Hinata and that was the part that worried her most. If they thought Hinata was with Sasuke, which they obviously did, then she had to find the two of them…_

_Hell, she'd rather face Orochimaru all over again instead of dealing with that pile of frightening people… sort of people… _

_Determined to find her friends she took off at a run to get Naruto, and probably Shino and Kiba, for Hinata's sake. _

_Hopefully they wouldn't blame Sasuke too much for the danger he accidentally put her in.

* * *

_

_It wasn't long before he heard the sound of them stampeding near the door, and though they passed by several times without actually walking in he was sure eventually someone would find them. _

_Nervously he shifted, putting a hand on Hinata's shoulder lightly to shake her awake, wary of the possibility of being shoved, or punched or something. He hadn't forgotten her reaction earlier that morning. _

_Sighing Hinata rubbed her eyes, pushing herself up on one hand. _

"_What's the matter? D-did they come?" she mumbled, looking around at the cold warehouse. Sasuke shook his head, but he was standing, listening intently to the sounds coming from outside. _

"…_not yet…"_

_Just then there was the sound of a squeal, loud and obnoxious. _

"_Uh oh.." Hinata began, shoving herself to her feet sharply. Sasuke glanced around, locating the back door rapidly. _

"_Stand back." He muttered, facing it silently. Hinata stumbled backwards, glancing nervously over her shoulder at the front sliding door and how it was slowly being pried upwards, kicks and grunts and other noises echoing through the warehouse. _

_Sasuke flicked his fingers rapidly through a jutsu, breathing in deeply before letting out a stream of flashing flame. _

_Gasping Hinata stumbled back even more, wide eyed. The heat engulfed the door, bright red and slowly turning blue as the heat increased. The door suddenly melted into itself and with a yip of joy Hinata rushed forward. The door behind her was high enough for the faces of the rabid fan girls to be in view as they bent down to look. _

"_Sasuke-kun! Come back!"_

"_Run!" Sasuke cried, following Hinata as she jumped through the hole, careful not to burn herself on the smoldering metal. _

_Together they set off at a run, turning a sharp corner in the first alley that came up. Thoughtlessly they rushed down the alley and froze, staring at the dead end that met them. There were garbage cans around and high walls, and an old locker in the corner, but nothing else. _

_The sounds of the girls getting closer continued and panicked now the two shinobi looked around, desperately looking for an exit. Sasuke stared at the locker for a moment, biting his lip. _

"_Hinata… the locker…" he began. The small girl turned to look at the old abandoned metal death trap, coloring rapidly at the idea of being in there with Sasuke. _

"_Ano.." she began, turning sharply at the sound of a stampede heading their way. _

"_Hai!" she gasped. _

_Relieved beyond belief he pushed her in gently, biting his lip as he noticed just how tight it would be. _

_But the sound of them turning the next corner made him slip in, squirming in around her body fitting each limb around hers. Biting her lip Hinata shifted, shivering and trying not to laugh at the outrageousness of the situation. She couldn't believe that she'd be doing 'this' of all things during Valentine's Day._

_Finally they were both in the locker and Hinata reached out, pulling the door shut. However it was heavier than she had anticipated and it slammed shut hard. Gasping at the loud noise the two shinobi froze, listening for any trace of the fangirls. _

_It felt like an eternity of silence and squishiness in which both of them tried hard not to feel each other's bodies pressed against one another, or the claustrophobia of being in such a small dark space. _

_But for a long time there was no more sound and slowly they both relaxed, which was odd in itself, for they relaxed directly into each other. _

_The closeness made things more nerve wrecking and therefore more laughable than before. _

_But neither of them dared do anything until finally, feeling bothered Sasuke reached out to push the door open, his hand hitting the solid unmovable metal. _

_There was a twin sound of surprised gasp as the two shinobi stared at the door. _

_Biting his lip Sasuke hit it again, hard, feeling the pain it shot up his arm quite acutely. _

"_Oh holy hell…" he stated suddenly, realizing the dreadful truth. _

"_I-i-it's stuck!" Hinata gasped, staring at the thing in utter horror. _

_Sasuke would have nodded but that might end up resulting in him bopping Hinata's head hard. _

"_Hai." He grunted closing his eyes to force himself to remain calm. _

_Heart beating furiously Hinata tried to keep herself from panicking. "A-a-a-no-"_

"_Shss." Sasuke snapped before she could continue. "We'll just wait until someone comes by."_

_But they both knew quite well how they had wandered in a fairly deserted area of the village, a random alley in the random streets of warehouse buildings. _

_It would be a long, long time. _

Well.. I guess we might as well get to know each other…

_Amusingly enough the sulky irritated thought was echoing in 'both' their minds.

* * *

_

_It was midday and Sakura was beginning to panic. To her horror both Shino and Kiba were off to some mission, Shikamaru was on a delegate excursion to the Sand Village, Ino was visiting an aunt stationed in the Rain and it didn't even occur to her to go to Neji for help. _

_The idea made her flinch as to his reaction and the possibility of a fight between the two obnoxiously stubborn male teens. _

_But that was the least of her worries right then as she watched a herd of fan girls run by, screaming that they thought they heard Sasuke-kun's voice down some random street. _

_Sakura sighed, allowing herself to sweat drop impatiently at the idea that she had once been as stupid as them. _

"…_I definitely needed a life." She mumbled. _

_She had been searching through the city consistently for most of the day and she was beginning to think that maybe Hinata and Sasuke were fully capable of hiding themselves until further notice when the thought that the two were alone… together… hiding…suddenly became obvious. _

_Gasping at the shock of realization the young infatuated shinobi stopped in her tracks on the rooftop of a building, struggling to grasp how green with envy she was. _

_Luckily a very unlucky blonde ninja stopped on the street below, blinking up at her from the ground. _

"_Eh- Sakura-chan! What're you doing up there?"_

_The pink haired kunoichi jumped startled by his sudden appearance. Almost visible was the lightbulb that lit over her head. _

"_Hey! Naruto! Wanna help me find something interesting?" she smiled sweetly. Naruto blinked at her confusedly. _

"…_interesting?"_

"_Very."

* * *

_

_Hinata bit her lip hard, feeling the numbing little ants run up and down her legs. The discomfort was unbearable but she had shifted so much in the last half hour or so that she figured Sasuke would eventually complain. However he was being his normal silent self… aside from the fact that he was plastered right up to her and looking pointedly away out to the alley through the cracks in the locker ventilation. _

_Unable to control her movement any longer she finally shifted, watching him react to the movement against his body simply by closing his eyes and not replying, waiting patiently until she stopped moving. _

"_G-gomen…" Hinata mumbled sheepishly, forcing her tongue to break the silence. Sasuke would have shrugged, but he couldn't without crushing her…more. _

"_Hn." He said instead. _

_It had been way too long to be plastered up against someone, his whole body was acutely aware of every curve of her body and the smell of both her sweat and soft jasmine. Now he knew for sure that the smell on his sheets had been her fault. _

_Not that he was complaining, despite his normal stoic attitude, no guy in their right mind unless he was homosexual would complain at being locked in a very tight compartment with a girl like her…_

_Wishing he could shake the thoughts out of his head he turned away towards the alley again, forcing himself to concentrate on 'not' concentrating on the fact that he wanted desperately to 'move'. _

_Now he knew for sure what it was like to be caged. When he got home he was going to set his pet birds free. _

_Sulking mentally and a little bit in reality he sighed. _

"_Ano…Sasuke-kun…" Hinata began, wondering how she was going to tell him that she was probably going to pass out if they didn't get out somehow. She could hardly breathe… and she hadn't eaten…_

"_Hey- Sakura, I thought I heard something!" Naruto's voice suddenly echoed. _

_The two squashed teens in the locker froze (not that they were moving much) and stared at each other, wide eyed. _

_Hinata turned sharply towards the door, ready to jump for joy at the fact that Naruto had finally come to the rescue. She was so glad she didn't even have time to feel nervous about being in his presence. _

_Taking a deep breath she opened her mouth to shout out for help but found Sasuke's hand over her mouth. _

"_Not a word." He stated, blushing furiously despite himself. Of all the people to 'rescue' him Naruto would be the last one if his life depended on it…_

_Which it might, he could hardly breathe and being so close to Hinata was making him dizzy…_

_Totally confused and almost ready to contradict his order Hinata stared back at him, but it was too late, Naruto's sharp ears caught the sound and with a loud 'whoop' his eyes peeked in through the locker shafts for a moment, grinning obviously. _

"_I did find them!" he shouted. _

_Footsteps could be heard running towards them as Naruto struggled with the door for a moment, huffing and puffing to pull it open. _

"_You fou- wha??" Sakura gasped, staring at the tiny locker. "Are you sure? Both of them?" _

Why are they talking as if we're not here…? _Sasuke grumbled mentally. _

_Suddenly the door was flung open, cutting off his train of thought. With a twin gasp the two stuck shinobi tumbled out of the locker and hit the ground with an 'oomph!'_

"_Ow…" Hinata whimpered, rubbing her head, pushing herself to her knees slowly. _

"_Jackpot!!" Naruto cried, pointing at them triumphantly. _

"_This is HILARIOUS! Prepare to be BLACK MAILED!" he shouted at Sasuke. _

_The cold avenger gave him a long murderous look while Hinata stared back at the blonde with surprise, suddenly understanding why Sasuke had told her to be quiet. _

"_Are you okay?" Sakura cried, bending down to look at Hinata. "Were you in there for very long? Did it hurt? Was it close? Did you touch? Did you like it?!" she gasped quickly, making Hinata fall back on her behind with a soft cry of surprise. _

_There was an awkward silence for a moment as everyone exchanged looks of unease. _

"…_a-ano…" Hinata began finally, struggling to her feet, her numb limbs beginning to loose their stiffness. _

"_Not a word, to anyone. Do you hear?" Sasuke stated suddenly, looking closely at his old team mates. "I'm not even close to kidding." The icy biting tone of his voice was so cold it made both of the other ninja's shiver. _

_Naruto shook it off roughly, like a dog. "No way! This is the one thing I have to black mail you with!"_

"_D-demo…" Hinata began, bright red in the face from the idea of being blackmailed right along with Sasuke. _

_Naruto suddenly realized she was there and stared…_

"_Aw crap." He sighed, realizing he couldn't black mail Sasuke at all. _

"_Good." Sasuke grunted, turning to look at Hinata, defeated. "Let's go."_

_The girl scrambled to her feet, looking up to find the sun was more than halfway up in the sky. _

_Mourning the loss of a perfectly good day they started back down the alley, all four of them nursing their bruised prides when a shadow fell across the ground at their feet. _

_The four looked up to stare at no other than Misa-chan, standing dramatically at the entrance of the alley, her faithful secretary standing behind her, holding her clipboard. _

"_Mwuahahah!! I have found you at last! You can run but you cannot hide from true love, SASUKE-KUN!!" she shouted, her eyes glittering evilly. _

_The four shinobi stared back, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke twitching at once. _

"_And you!!" Misa continued, walking rapidly up to a silent Hinata. "I will defeat you in battle! I will win Sasuke-kun's heart fair and square!!"_

_Hinata stared at her for a moment, looking completely impassive. _

"_You can't even speak can you! You're just so impressed by my overwhelming beauty and power!!" she continued, looking dreamily into the sky, imagining herself vividly, completely unaware of the gentle Hyuuga heiress pulling her arm back slowly, winding up for an obvious punch. _

"_You can match none of this beauty! Sasuke-kun will obviously be- OOMPH!"_

_Hinata's fist connected solidly with Misa's face, sending the girl stumbling back on her high heels, loosing her balance quickly causing her to hit the ground hard, blood covering most of her face. _

_The secretary looked electrified, standing plastered to the wall, wide eyes focused on Hinata, who shook out her hand slightly, the knuckles cracking as she flicked it. _

_Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto stared, mouths open into large O's of utter shock. _

"_I'm g-going t-to take a nap…" Hinata mumbled, turning to smile at them sweetly. "B-bye!" she called, waving over her shoulder before she left the alley, the secretary watching her move with wide terrified eyes. _

_The old team seven finally snapped out of it enough to gasp out: "What in the HELL?!"_

_Happy Valentine's Day indeed!

* * *

_

Ino stared at Hinata.

"You… HAHAHAH!! No WONDER Misa was walking around with a broken nose!!"

Hinata stared back. "I broke her nose?!?"

Ino just fell off her chair laughing.

* * *

**Hehe, there is the filler- holy smokes it is long…**

**Ehhe… it took forever to write, no wonder. **

**Anyway, PLEASE take note that it's just silly, and I put very little effort into it because comedy is 'not' my favorite style to write, it has to just come out. **

**Be gentle, leave a message, and have a lovely day!**

**Read. Review. **

**-Ink**

**PS. Chapter One of Part Three is being worked on, should be up during the weekend sometime!**


	19. Part 3 Chp 1: Of Chained Cats

**It is TIME for Part 3!! YEAH! So glad. Now I can deal out the good stuff. Things are gonna get spicy, people!**

**Btw, not that I wanna brag or anything, but, ahem: 205 reviews in less than 50 days!! (44 to be exact) YEAH!!! That's right, I am freakin' pro.**

**k. that was my single moment of shinning shame XD. Hehe. Please ignore it and read the story… it's a lot better than listening to me… lol**

**Read. Review. **

**-ink

* * *

**

"Do you have anything to report?" Sasuke sighed, shifting through another pile of papers, bored beyond reason and very nearly incapable of focusing on the words written there. Two weeks of reading all this crap had made it hard to focus on it… again.

It was all useless records of the past chuunin exams, locations of known terrorist organizations and possible threats, which didn't seem to be getting any more grave at all, and over all useless stuff he had no interest in.

Neji stood across from him in the small office that was inside the new Chuunin building, glancing around at the office and the fact that it looked so totally used. It looked genuinely lived in and inhabited. He had somehow figured, after leaving for the long term mission on the very day of the first meeting that the security team would linger and just pretend to work. The team was not one that was accustomed to long research missions and careful investigation and strategically analyzing.

Yet here was the proof that one of the captains was carefully looking through said research, frowning doubtfully at something or other written on the paper he was holding. Things had never been very easy between the Uchiha Avenger and the Hyuuga Defender, but Neji had to admit that Sasuke ran a tight ship, however…

Since the exile of the Hyuuga Heiress the uneasiness had been worse. Neji had not seen Hinata since she had moved in with Uchiha Sasuke and something about that made him feel vaguely ill with both anger and envy.

"Nothing." Neji replied. "The Rain don't seem to be hiding any Akatsuki at all, or any other sort of threat, as of late." He muttered, looking around again and catching sight of something that screamed Hinata.

It was a book, opened up to a random page, with a dry flower pressed between it's pages. He stared at it for a long moment, remembering her books slowly collecting dust in her old room.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, glancing up at him and catching him staring at the book.

Irritated he put the papers down, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Anything else?"

Neji turned to look at him impassively, irritated by the haughty way in which the younger of the two was speaking.

"How is my cousin?"

"Technically, she's not your cousin." Sasuke retorted smoothly, surprised with himself. It wasn't like him to bark back like that in an argument. Though, truth be told, lately his tongue had been quite a bit more loose than usual.

Neji looked back at him silently, attempting to show no irritation at the snappy comment. "Where is she?"

"Training." Sasuke replied, turning around and beginning to flick through another pile of reports, which he had already read. But he no longer wanted Neji to be there, his uses had been exploited for the moment, now he was just being annoying.

Neji, feeling fully the insult turned around without another word, slipping out the door and down the stairs towards the exit.

Around the building were the other team members going over other parts of the mission. Shikamaru was trying to calculate what number of ninja they would require to cover all of the important locations of the village, with Tenten who was explaining where possible sniper-style guards could be located.

Naruto and Sakura were of at the Sand trying to figure out how the forces of the Konoha and the Sand would be working together to stop and threat that Akatsuki or anyone else might be posing.

But the truth was that they had found little information to even hint at the idea that there was going to be any sort of issue. None of the Chuunin contestants were of particular importance therefore it seemed like a useless endeavor for Akatsuki to bother entering the village when security was so high.

However the Hokage continued to insist that there was no choice but to keep the security as tight as they could afford. When there were so many foreigners entering their city they had no other choice.

"Neji!" Tenten called, running out of the room she had been in, talking to Shikamaru. "Where are you going?"

"Home." He muttered, glancing up at her quickly from the foyer. She leaned on the balcony railing thoughtfully, looking a bit put out.

"But… you just got back.." she muttered, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Ne, I'll see you later." He added almost like an after thought though it certainly wasn't.

Tenten sighed, nodding. "Hai." She shrugged, watching him exit. "…sure." She mumbled, turning around to head back into the tactical room.

* * *

Ino grunted softly, shoving herself onto a higher branch, scanning the surrounding area with doubtful blue eyes.

It had been two hours now and she still couldn't find Hinata. The silence that the woodland was imposing on her ears made her think that perhaps the shy little kunoichi had pulled an unlikely joke on her and just left.

However, as if to prove her wrong the sound of kunai ripping through the air reached her ears at the last minute and she gasped, flipping backwards over the thick branch.

Sliding to a stop on the bark she scanned the area again, panting, eyes narrowing in concentration.

_Where the hell are you…?_

A shadow flickered in the corner, ruffling the bushes in and out, making less noise than the wind did while streaming through the branches.

Hinata sat crouched beneath said bush, her face covered by a mask much like Kakashi-sensei's. Her pale eyes narrowed in concentration, the veins marked around them as she focused her byakugan forcefully to maintain an extended watch on her surroundings.

Ino however was still there, in plain sight with enough openings to have had her killed already. Hinata sighed softly, shaking her head. This was useless.

Grumbling mentally she flickered out of sight, moving too fast for Ino realize she was behind her until it was too late and the kunai was held up to her throat, steady and cold, glittering in the sunlight pouring through the forest canopy.

"Damn!" Ino gasped, eyes widening in surprise at the bite of the knife against her pale flesh.

Slowly Hinata pulled back, removing her mask. "I-ino-chan, y-you must maintain c-calm and p-patient… standing in p-plain v-view-"

"I was trying to bait you out!" Ino retorted hotly, defending her lame strategy despite knowing it had been useless.

Hinata sighed again, stuffing her kunai back in her pouch. "I t-think we should s-top for today." She murmured, jumping off the branch and to the forest ground before Ino could complain.

It had only been a few weeks that she had been training her friend under orders of Sasuke who said Ino had to improve most of her basic skills before being sent out to the other villages on missions. Her hot head and loud mouth had not won over the captain's favor yet, and because Naruto was dealing with external affairs in the Sand Sasuke was the only one they could consult for advice.

At first the blonde had not minded being taught by Hinata, but the realization of just how much the girl had improved and how far behind she was put her off, making her rash and brutal.

"I don't get why I have to be taught. All the stuff we're going over I covered during 'my' Chuunin examination." Ino growled, looking forcefully at the ground as if it were the source of all her problems. Hinata walked a few paces ahead, looking back at her worriedly. She had foreseen this sort of conversation happening, but had tried not to think about it.

Sasuke was adamant about the training. When she had asked why he had just looked at her silently, a look which she had grown to understand. It meant she would know why later.

However it was two weeks since she had started to train her blonde friend and still she had no idea how that was any benefit to either of them.

Ino was so stubborn that nothing Hinata said ever got through her thick skull and Hinata was still too timid to yell at her loud enough for it to penetrate.

Yet everyday Sasuke enquired as to how training was going, recevigin the all too usual answer of a sad shake of Hinata;s head and a sigh as she described without too much detail the useless effort she had been making to get Ino to improve.

Sasuke always listened in silence, making his usual "hn" sounds once in a while to let her know he was still paying attention, but he never said anything to help her with her struggle, so Hinata never asked and the cycle continued.

"You j-just n-need to remember w-what y-you already know." Hinata finally replied to Ino's bad tempered rant.

Ino fumed both at herself and the whole situation.

"Are you saying I'm rusty?" she gasped.

Her friend turned to look at her, staring in confusion. "Nani-? No- I-"

"Don't you 'nani' me! You think I'm rusty!" Ino cried, stopping abruptly as they pass through the forest outskirts into the training fields dotted with posts.

"I-I d-don't-" Hinata began, staring at Ino with wide eyes.

"You do too! Goddamn! I knew it! Sasuke never thought much of me anyway- but you must think I'm slacking off just cuz you've gone and got some sort of new power- I don't bloody care if you can move as fast as the Uchiha clan- you hear! You're no better than me! Actually- how the hell is it that you're out here teaching me! I used to help 'you'! Don't you remember that? You sucked!" Ino gasped at herself, slamming her hands over her mouth as the last words left her lips.

Hinata stared at her dazedly for a moment, stunned, unsure of how to react. The usual feeling of that feline caged within her was there, she could feel it shifting against the chains that bound it, but she restrained it, focusing on those chains.

Swallowing slowly she lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling them water rapidly. Ino was one of her last friends… Sakura was so far gone she couldn't think of how she would ever get her back, not with Naruto standing oddly between them.

"Hinata… I didn't… I'm sorry.." Ino whispered, looking at her friend in horror. She couldn't believe herself. How the words had slipped from her grasp she did not know, all she knew was how badly she was feeling.

Hinata looked up after a moment, smiling weakly, blinking back tears. "N-ne, you're r-right though…"

Ino shrunk into herself, shaking her head sharply. "No! No, no, don't listen to me- I was just-"

"I will talk to Sasuke-kun." Hinata interrupted softly, starting down the hill pulling her mask back over her face, her long black braid whipping behind her as she started away.

"Wait- No! Hinata I didn't mean it!" Ino cried, wringing her hands, but she was rooted to the stop, there was no way she was going after her… something like shame was holding her back.

The disowned Hyuuga heiress did not reply but continued on through the training field, disappearing behind the bushes on the other side. Ino sat down on the rough forest outskirts, miserable beyond reason.

"…I really am sorry…"

* * *

Hinata stepped into the house, her hands shaking as she closed the door quietly. Everything about the house was still, the lights turned off, so under the impression that she was alone she leaned her forehead against the cool wood, breathing in deeply to control herself.

There was s straining pain across her chest, like someone was crushing her lungs. Clenching her jaw she put her hand against the it, rubbing gently.

_What is wrong with me now?_

Sasuke appeared behind her quietly, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching her struggling with something. For a moment he thought perhaps she had been hurt during training but her clenched fists and slow breathing stated otherwise. He knew those sounds and those motions.

She was furious at something.

"Hinata?' he enquired after a moment, watching her spin around rapidly, wide eyed. Her hand was still up to her chest, pressing there as if to take away the emotion.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried, surprised. "I-I didn't k-know you were-"

"What's the matter?" he cut in lazily, eyeing her hand pressing forcefully against her chest. Hinata's cheeks colored rapidly and she dropped her hand to her side. "N-nothing." She mumbled, frowning down at the ground, her hands unconsciously clenching at her sides.

"Hn." Sasuke hummed, pleased with her defiance though vaguely curious as to what the situation was.

"How was training?"

That seemed to be the right question to ask. Her shoulders dropped and her hands came up to her face, rubbing her eyes.

"I-I-c-can't train her a-anymore. P-please don't m-make me d-do it…" she murmured, her voice straining to be calm, he could hear the wavering of some sort of emotion behind it.

For a long moment he did not reply, watching her shivering. It was obvious that she was not only containing her anger, but that she didn't know what to do with it. Something Ino had done had obviously triggered exactly what he had hoped would be triggered. Hinata's pride…

"We should eat dinner, the team will gather again at the Chuunin building in less than two hours to go over the entrances and exits of the stadium. We've only got two more weeks before the exams." He replied after a moment, without actually saying anything to satisfy her.

Hinata looked up sharply, frustration twisting in her chest, right along with the pain, making her a little sick.

"N-nani? S-sasuke-kun… I- just…"

"You need to train her." He shrugged, looking vaguely bored at her complaints, but watching with utmost curiosity her expression.

"D-demo.." Hinata began, searching the room feverishly for something to help her explain how useless and frustrating it was. "S-she w-won't l-listen to a word I-I say…"

"Find a way." He retorted, starting towards the kitchen calmly. The light pouring in through the windows slid in down the hall, strips of white against black making a domino effect across the floor as he passed by.

Hinata stood there, shaking with what she now knew to be utter frustration and irritation. The desire to break something was gnawing at her hands and fingers, making them shake visibly. She was in no mood to eat- mainly with him, of all people. How 'could' he do something so horrible to her… she had been trying- didn't he understand?

The feline in her chest woke again, pulling harshly against the chains, straining to be free.

She didn't realize it when she started to walk after him, and didn't even understand why she was standing in the kitchen looking at him furiously until the words were on her lips… but that's when she hesitated.

Looking both angry and uncertain she gripped the door frame, staring in at him downing a whole cup of water at once.

Calmly Sasuke turned to look at her, leaning against the counter. "Nani?"

_He 'knows' he knows its making me furious… why is he… does he think he can step on me too…?_

"I won't." she stated suddenly, her same soft voice, her same soft face, only strained, as if she were fighting to keep a demonic force from escaping. "I won't do it anymore. You can't m-make me." Her knuckles were white as they gripped the doorframe, hands shaking.

She couldn't believe she had actually said that. Terror rose up. How could she have said that?! He had taken her in, taught her, put up with her… and yet here she was telling her 'captain' of all people that she wasn't going to-

"Hn." Sasuke smirked, the tone was different though, amused… pleased.

Hinata froze, dropping her hands to her sides, staring at him in confusion.

"Shouldn't you be speaking to Ino this way?" he enquired, just as calm as before as he poured himself another glass.

"I'm not the one you have to force to do something."

Realization flooded, filling her up with a mixture of dread, shame and relief.

"…oh…" she sighed, covering her face with her hands. And for the second time in one year she had the desire to swear, if only to release some of the ever pressing strain, but she didn't.

She wasn't angry anymore.

Still grumbling mentally she sighed, pushed her hair away from her face, rosy cheeked and uncertain, but the negative feelings towards him were starting to fade. Swallowing forcefully she shrugged. Sasuke didn't say anything but watched, waiting for her to say something other than "oh."

He still noted that the shrug of carelessness still looked odd on her shoulders. It wasn't often that she shrugged.

"Ne… I'll start dinner." She mumbled finally, ripping off her gloves and heading towards the washroom to wash her hands.

As soon as she was out the door Sasuke leaned his head back, closing his eyes in frustration.

_Goddamnit! Why won't she snap?!

* * *

_

"Why is old lady Tsunade so paranoid right now anyway?" Shikamaru muttered lazily, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "We've not heard a single thing to make us believe there will be an attack, and that's even with Anbu scouts all over the Fire Country."

The security team was standing around in the foyer of the Chuunin building, much like the first time they had had a meeting, only this time Hinata was sitting behind Sasuke, holding in her lap a pile of papers that he referred to from time to time during the meeting.

Her eyes were on the papers and on his hands only, listening intently to the conversations that the others were having so that she wouldn't miss out on anything, but she couldn't look up.

Not with her cousin sitting straight across the room from her, arms crossed and looking as sulky and unemotional as ever…

Something about how calm he looked was making her uncomfortable, because even though he looked calm, he was still staring at her.

"It doesn't matter if there is a chance there will be an attack or not, we still have to be prepared for anything." Kiba replied coolly, getting an instant agreement from Akamaru. "This is our first time as the security team, it's not unlikely that we missed an obvious clue, despite our best efforts." Shino put in quietly, watching a bug crawl along his fingers. "We might have a full scale assault coming the moment the gates open."

The words hung oddly over the group, much like several scythes ready to chop off their heads.

Finally Tenten gave a nervous laugh. "That's not the best case scenario of course."

"But it is still a grave possibility!" Lee cried, looking wide eyed at the others. "Even Sakura-san and Naruto-kun might have not been able to get a hold of any solid evidence in the Sand village and the other villages they have been looking through…"

Sasuke listened silently to his team debating, taking in most of what they were saying though he had thought of each possibility himself. His eyes however were carefully watching Neji and Ino. Neji had either not noticed he was being watched, or had decided not to care, for he was blatantly staring at his cousin sitting with her head down, looking over the reports from each team scout.

Ino on the other hand looked like she was in a mixture of melodrama and a temper tantrum. Her eyes were red, which meant she had been crying, but her hands were clenched and her mouth pressed together so her lips were in a thin line. She was pissed off.

"Akatsuki is supposed to be our biggest threat, aside from the possibility of one we may not know about." Shino continued. "And they have all but vanished off the face of the earth, that I would take as a clue that they are moving very quietly-"

"To do what? We have nothing they may want." Tenten grumbled, then stopped.

All eyes slid carefully over to Sasuke, and all thoughts rushed to Naruto and Gaara of the Sand.

"Oh shit." Kiba grumbled.

Sasuke smirked slightly, giving a "Hn." Of amused irritation as he turned to Hinata, taking her hands off the reports gently and beginning to shift through them though they were on her lap. She didn't even register that it might look odd.

The others glanced at each other and at Neji who bristled in annoyance.

"There have been two reports with a possibility of Akatsuki movement. Both of them have been unable to name the members they might have seen." Sasuke replied, glancing at Hinata expectantly. She had said nothing, and as his vice captain he expected her to make an effort to be part of the team.

Blinking back at him in surprise she sat up slightly, attempting to relocate herself into the conversation.

"...therefore…" Sasuke began, frowning at her slightly dazed expression. "…therefore Akatsuki has not 'vanished'. Shino is right. They have been very careful as to their movement."

"I need Kiba, Tenten and Neji to take a trip to the locations of these reports to research for more information concerning their movement." He added, tossing the papers over to Kiba who was closest.

Ino sat up suddenly, furious. "Wait a second." She snapped. "I haven't been on 'any' missions. Those three have been on three already in the last two weeks! You're going to keep me here again!?"

Sasuke stared at her impassively for a moment, waiting to see if Hinata would say something.

When the silence stretched out for a moment longer he stated. "Only if your trainer agrees to send you can you replace Tenten."

Hinata looked up slowly, the tension across her shoulders beginning to tighten into a painful knot.

Ino looked at her squarely, jaw clenched. She didn't look very sorry at that moment.

The once small feline in Hinata's chest bit down at the chain irritably.

"No. She c-can't go." She stated, looking right back at Ino, hands clenching uncomfortably tight around the reports in her lap.

Ino gasped, looking shocked. "Wh-what? You can't-"

"That should be enough for today." Sasuke stated, standing. "Naruto and Sakura are returning in the morning. With them here to report as to the status of the Sand village we'll know what to do about more missions. For now keep building up the strength of the security traps and the emergency hide outs for the women and children."

The team nodded, all but Ino who was struggling not to start shouting at Hinata. Slowly the vice captain stood up, gathering the reports that Sasuke had used and put down on the steps around him.

"You need to talk to her." Sasuke murmured quietly, leaning against the railing by the steps they were sitting on. Hinata only nodded, swallowing the knot in her throat forcefully.

"Now." He added.

She looked up, frowning at him, a flicker of the annoyance of earlier that day flashing through her eyes. He had to concentrate on not smirking.

Sighing she dropped the papers, letting them scatter on the steps, a rebellious move on all it's on. Wordlessly she turned around and headed across the room to Ino who was talking in quiet rushed voices with Shikamaru.

He was obviously trying to calm her down.

"…goddamnit! Shut up, Shikamaru! I don't care! She can't talk to me like that!" Ino turned around, facing Hinata squarely.

"What is your problem?! What did I ever do to you? You're not letting me go now? I thought we were friends! I thought we were-"

"You are not r-ready." Hinata interrupted sharply. "You will put the rest of the team in d-danger-"

"I am a chuunin!" Ino snapped, furiously she reached out to shove her.

The hyuuga heiress flickered out of sight, appearing beside her, Ino's hand in her own.

"You will meet me at the training grounds tomorrow." She sighed softly, sounding defeated, but her grip was tight, making Ino flinch. "And you will l-listen to what I s-say."

The others froze, watching the struggle while halfway out the door, unsure of what to do.

Ino ripped her hand out of Hinata's grip, lips trembling as she contained her frustrated tears.

Silently Hinata started back to Sasuke, jaw clenched in an attempt to keep from trembling all over… or starting to cry too.

Without much conversation everyone left, leaving Sasuke and Hinata in silence, even Neji escaped into the night, not wanting to face the Hinata he no longer understood.

As soon as the door closed behind Tenten, who was the last to leave Hinata sat down on the steps, burying her face in her hands.

"I-I… didn't w-want to be l-like that." She whimpered, hugging her knees. "I-ino-chan m-must hate me."

Sasuke picked up the reports, scanning each one thoughtfully, though acutely aware of a vague guilt digging into his chest.

"She needs the training."

"D-demo, I-I was s-so m-mean…"

"She needs the discipline."

"I-I'm her friend."

"You need the respect." He stated suddenly, frustrated. Hinata looked up, her face tear stained despite her best attempts not to cry. Again Sasuke was shocked by her ability to cry in utter silence. Often times he wondered if she cried herself to sleep without his knowing, simply because she had the ability to weep without a noise to give her away.

She certainly had a good amount of reasons to cry.

Sighing as the shock faded he sat down at the step as well, next to her, looking out the window at the night sky and it's twinkling stars.

"You did nothing wrong."

"S-she was g-going t-to c-cry.." Hinata began, trying to get him to understand.

"Because she was frustrated with herself, she doesn't want to notice just how weak she truly is and that will put others in danger. You'll have more reason to cry if you send her on a mission and none of them return because she wasn't ready." He snapped, turning to look at her impatiently.

Hinata stared back at him silently, too upset to blush at his intense stare. Finally swallowing her frustration and sadness she turned away. His words made sense, but enforcing them seemed so difficult. They had all looked at her differently when she had gripped Ino's wrist so hard.

If they had known that she had had the desire to break it they would have been horrified. What a sick person they would think she was.

"I'm not strong enough for that." She mumbled, rubbing her tears away. "I-I c-can't beat her into r-respecting m-me. N-naruto-kun and y-you…You are strong e-enough to f-fight for r-respect, d-demo I-"

Startled by her sudden break down Sasuke crouched down in front of her, forcing her eyes to focus on him rapidly in surprise. He couldn't let just one breakdown ruin all the work of nearly four months.

"They are all just humans, Hinata." He stated, watching her try to look away, too afraid to look him in the eye yet.

Clenching his jaw he reached out and took her chin, forcing her to face him. At the touch her cheeks flamed, but she didn't move or try to look away, focusing sharply on his onyx eyes.

"They are all just humans, just like you. Their possibilities are just like yours." He was the one to look away then, remembering how he had refused to acknowledge Naruto as an equal long ago.

The lesson he was teaching now he had had to learn on his own. Only Hinata was facing it from a different perspective. She saw herself as inferior. He had seen himself as superior.

"I'm your equal." He stated suddenly, turning to look at her again.

The words were odd, Hinata didn't really understand them. They were equal when it came to birth, perhaps… however he wasn't… he was so much stronger than she had ever been-

"D-demo…" she began, starting to contradict. "Quiet." He stated suddenly, pushing himself to his feet and letting go of her in the process. "Until you understand that I don't want to hear another word of how you're inferior. Is that understood?"

Hinata nodded, wide eyed and confused, but somehow the desire to cry had faded. She looked down at her hands and how rough they were from contact training, no longer using the gentle fist as a crutch, the only power she had.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." She murmured, pushing herself to her feet as well. Sasuke nodded and turned around to head out the door.

"Let's go."

"Hai." She called, starting after him, skipping down the steps to the street after locking the door.

They walked in genuinely comfortable silence for a few minutes before Hinata stepped up beside him. Often she walked a step behind, trailing because that was what she had been taught since she was younger.

"Ano… Sasuke-kun…" she began, fidgeting visibly but otherwise her voice was steady.

Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye, puzzled. "Hn?"

"…arigato…"

They continued on in silence then, and it was his turn to feel vaguely inferior.

* * *

**Its getting cloooooser ((evil grin)) when the Chuunin exam comes around the heat is ON people**

**please read and review.**

**-inky**


	20. Chp 2: Pondering Affection

**Chapter 2, finally.**

**This might be a lil angsty guys, seeing as I'm upset and irritated about something. Heh. SO. It might sound a lil weird, cuz emotion does affect my writing quite a bit, just let me know. **

**Read. Review. **

**-inky

* * *

**

Morning came around earlier, spring was in full swing and the birds woke with the bright glitter of the dawn. Sasuke made a point never to close his curtain so that he could wake with the dawn as well, no matter the time of year, but this time it was struggle to get back up.

Falling asleep had been a serious struggle the night before, tossing and turning over and over without a clue as to what was keeping him awake, just thoughts running through his mind at a speed he couldn't bother to keep up with.

Though, in the morning as he lay staring at the ceiling and it's brightness as the sun rose he came to the realization that most of them had been about his brother and his new less threatening worry…

Hinata.

Grumbling about lack of sleep he sat up, rotating his shoulders slowly, not feeling at all like going anywhere, let alone to meet Sakura and Naruto at the gate, but he needed their information to let Neji Tenten and Kiba leave on their mission.

Quietly he went through the motions of washing his face in cold water, and getting dressed, all the while listening to the silence of the house.

Finally realizing that what was missing was Hinata's usually cheerful humming he stepped out into the hall and froze, staring at the wide open door of her room. The blinds were pulled shut so that no sun was pouring in and he could see nothing inside as a result, but he could hear her harsh breathing…

Slowly he stepped into the darkness, blinking silently as he listened.

Her words were mumbled and in no particular order, but they were clear enough for him to understand…

"…I'm scared…they left… they left….and I couldn't…they said they wouldn't leave…"

He bit his lip standing and moving towards the door to leave, the hair rising at the nape of his neck.

But her next words stopped him, the whisper thin sob making him draw in a sharp breath.

"…I left Sasuke behind…"

* * *

_The dream began like the old dream, the same running, the same panic of being chased, of having to leave someone behind, of knowing that the others, her friends left… The same listening to the dull pain filled scream. _

_But this time, this time it was different because she could see faces, all the faces. Ino, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Shino, running, leaving her in the grips of someone with burning red eyes. _

_And then Sasuke, telling her to run, shoving her away. _

_She had left… she had left him behind. And it was making her sick. Crawling away, the blood running down her side, leaving a trail of her life liquid on the woodland floor. _

_She could hardly think, the pain was drilling up her side, like a wolf gnawing at her, tearing her mind to shreds. Sobbing and unable to comprehend the enormity of what was happening she stopped, her hands shaking, she was holding something in them, something important…_

_It was small, but it was important… so important… and it was Sasuke's. _

"_I left you behind…"_

_She had to go back… she had to go back, or she would die. Sobbing from the pain and the adrenaline that was pumping forcefully through her veins she shoved herself to her feet. _

_She had to go back, because even if she lived…it would be like leaving something vital of hers behind.

* * *

_

"Hinata!"

Gasping Hinata shoved herself up, disoriented and confused. "No, don't!" The words were out, but she didn't know who she was shouting them at, hands tried to grip her wrists, but she fought it, sobbing all the while. It was the first time she had sobbed out loud, the panic making her struggle.

Suddenly she was being dragged into someone's arms and held there, tightly but not harshly.

"Breathe! You'll pass out otherwise! Calm down."

She recognized that voice.

_I left you behind… _

Relieve like no other flooded through her whole body, the tension dissipating, melting away, the ice within her bones leaving her to curl up in his lap, crying into his shoulder.

"G-gomen….g-gomen nosai.." she whimpered, her arms were tightly wound around his neck, so tightly that he could feel every shiver that wracked her body against him. The panic was like a smell, covering her in it's scent.

He didn't even know what she was apologizing for, but he didn't ask, because he didn't care, at least not at that moment.

It seemed like hours, but it must have only been around fifteen minutes…her breathing finally slowed down to a reasonable pace and she lay still, only a few shivers once in a while came through her body to tell the tell tale story of how she had cried.

"…are you all right?" he was the one to break the silence again, it felt so strange, being the one to speak. She would always defeat him when it came to this, when it came to being the most wounded.

He felt her nod, but she wasn't pulling away, not that he minded… there was something comforting about holding her. This way he would know if the panic would come back.

The realization fluttered through his mind but he paid it no heed. That realization was simply that he didn't feel like letting her go… that consequences of such an emotion were too much to deal with at a moment such as the one he was in. So he let it pass, tucking it away to be examined later.

"G-gomen nosai." She said it again, whimpering despite herself.

He didn't ask what, just looked down at her hands resting across his chest. "It's all right."

"No…" she contradicted softly, surprising him with a will even in her state. "No, it's not."

He didn't bother to argue, but listened instead until her breathing slowed and sure enough her body relaxed into his and he heard her heart slow to a steady rhythm of sleep.

Breathing in softly with relief he put her back in bed slowly, horribly aware of the heat of her body leaving his side and the drumbeat that was her heart fading with the distance as he stood up.

Swallowing a knot of something he didn't understand he stared down at her, completely passed out.

Whatever she had dreamed of… it had haunted her well into the realm of reality. He would have to talk to Tsunade about it. His dreams were often strong enough to hold him in such a manner, but he didn't know what Hinata could be dreaming of that would claim her calm so well.

Frustrated and worried that perhaps she was going through something he wasn't aware of he walked away, closing the door to her room behind him before starting to get ready to leave.

Sakura and Naruto were probably waiting for him at the entrance of the village with the other team.

Not that he cared… he had other more important things to think about.

* * *

"Bloody hell!" Naruto shouted, "What the heck was so important that you had to keep us all waiting for an hour, huh?" he cried, watching as Sasuke walked up to them calmly, hands deep in his pockets looking for all the world without a care.

"None of your business, dobe." He replied glancing around to see Neji, Tenten and Kiba standing around impatiently with their traveling packs and Sakura sitting by the gates, looking tired.

"No seriously, Sasuke." Naruto retorted a bit quieter so the others couldn't hear. "What kept you so long? Sakura might pass out any minute now, and we need to send out the others to the Rain as soon as possible." He looked seriously at the other captain, the expression was so foreign on Naruto's face that Sasuke stared at him, puzzled.

"What have you found?"

"There were four sightings of Akatsuki there, short ones, but they are there, and might I add, that's closer to our village than we need them… mainly with the exams coming up pretty quick." His eyes flickered over to Sakura who had her head in her hands.

"We had to fight our way back from the sand. It was some sort of assassination attempt, a lame one, but one none the less. I think they might want us to think there's more than one organization trying to get into the village during the examination."

"That's useless." Sasuke muttered out loud. The only thing the village held that would be of any interest to anyone were two of the three important shinobi in the Fire Country. Himself, and Naruto.

And the only people who would be interested in that would be Akatsuki.

"That's what I figured." Naruto nodded. "Sakura took a pretty harsh beating though… I need to get her to the hospital."

"You should have done that first then." Sasuke retorted thinly. Had it been Hinata he would have left even if Naruto hadn't showed up to meet them at the gate…

Naruto looked at him darkly for a moment, sizing up the expression on his face. "She's not dying, she's hurt, it's different."

"The hell." Sasuke snapped. "She's a vice-captain. Get her to the hospital now."

"Where's Hinata?" Naruto replied suddenly, eyeing behind Sasuke with sharp blue eyes. It wasn't often Sasuke saw Naruto this way, as a capable shinobi. It was a frame of mind he only fell into when he knew things were suddenly serious.

So he hadn't counted on having to explain to anyone why Hinata wasn't with him…

"She's at home." He replied, turning to walk away. Naruto took his arm suddenly, pulling him back.

"Is she okay?' he frowned, watching Sasuke's eyes flicker to the left suddenly as he nodded. "She's fine."

"You're lying."

"Let go of me, dobe." Sasuke replied calmly, onyx eyes meeting ice blue without any difficulty.

Naruto complied, pressing his lips into a thin line. "She had better be okay."

Sasuke bristled irritably turning to look at him fully. "What does it matter to you? These past few months you've been very interested in her affairs, Naruto."

The kyuubi vessel flinched. When Sasuke used his name it was worse than being insulted. Things were serious now.

"She's my friend, I care about her-"

"More than Sakura?"

Silence came between them then as they glared at one another, the tension weighing heavily on their shoulders.

"That's not what I meant.." Naruto began again, lying for what felt like the fifth billionth time.

Something always held him back from saying the truth, something about the way Sasuke looked at him dangerously, daring him to say it…

It didn't occur to him to ask why Sasuke cared so much.

"Good." The avenger muttered, turning around to head over to Neji's team. "Get Sakura to the hospital."

"I know that." Naruto spat, heading over to pick up Sakura.

The others eyed their captains nervously, except for Neji who was only amused by the two and their irritated antics in front of half their squad.

"Did Naruto mention anything concerning their mission?" he enquired as soon as he was in ear shot.

Tenten nodded. "Akatsuki all over the Rain and an assassination attempt on their way back."

"That's what you will probably have to face, but keep it mind this is a recon operation I don't need any of you getting killed." He muttered, feeling the sleepless night acutely in his limbs. Moving felt like a horrible task all on it's own.

Maybe it was because he hadn't eaten breakfast as usual…

"Right." Tenten nodded, heaving up her pack on her shoulders. "We'll be back before the exams."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded, watching her and Kiba start away. Neji stood facing him as they walked off, waiting for them to be out of earshot before he stated softly. "Where is she?"

"At home." Sasuke replied, feeling suddenly calm in the presence of the annoying Hyuuga.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Nightmare." The word was out before he could catch it, surprising them both. Neji shifted, unsure of how to react to an actual answer to his question. Finally he looked back up at him.

"She gets them… sometimes… It goes away in a few hours."

Sasuke stared at him, shocked that he was being given information, though he was taking it in desperately. So it was normal for her to have nightmares of that kind…?

No, somehow this didn't sound the same.

"This wont." He stated suddenly, turning around. "I'm taking her to Tsunade."

Neji sighed, something like relief mixed with jealousy lingering inside of him. He should be the one with Hinata…caring for her the way his clan had commanded, and yet here was the Uchiha of all people…

"Hai." He called. "Do."

Silently he turned and walked off after his team mates, jogging to catch up, praying that his disowned little cousin would be all right.

* * *

"She what?' Tsunade stared at Sasuke in surprise, putting down her teacup which was full of something that they both knew was not tea.

"Is she all right now?"

"I don't know, I left her asleep again."

"Damned." Tsunade hissed, fidgeting with the bracelet around her wrist. "Did she say anything about the dream?"

Sasuke looked at her for a long moment, remembering the bits and pieces of conversation he had heard and the last comment that had made him flinch.

Somehow… he didn't want to be the one to say it again.

"…no."

Tsunade studied him from her desk, her fingers tracing the dark wood of it's surface, smirking slightly at him.

She had not studied the Uchiha for a while, but now that she looked at him in the bright daylight she had to admit there was something different about the boy… she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"How did she wake up?" she asked suddenly, watching him start. _Aha… I caught him off guard…_

"…I woke her."

"Really. Did you hold her too?" there was a teasing note in her voice that brought back all of Sasuke's reasons not to come, but he bit down on his tongue and looked back at her silently, frowning.

"Not giving anything away, I see." Tsunade laughed, pushing herself to her feet. "All right, then. I suppose I have to go see her, then, don't I?"

Sasuke said nothing, his eyes flickering to what looked like piles of untouched work on her desk and on the floor… and pretty much everywhere else in the office.

"I need a break anyway." Tsunade added dangerously, giving him a look that stated he could say nothing about the undone work, for his own sake.

The Uchiha did not reply to that look, but followed the blonde Hokage out the door silently, unsure of what to think. Tsunade had never set foot in his street let alone his home.

Though she 'had' ordered several guards to escort him and then hold him in house arrest for a year after his return from Orochimaru's grasp.

But… no one wanted to think about that much anymore.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't very polite, Sasuke knew this but somehow he hadn't expected her to just barge into his house before he could even reach the door. For an older woman wearing high heels she could move a lot faster than he had anticipated and reached his front door a few minutes before he did.

This was of course partly because he was dreading the situation… He wasn't sure what Hinata would say about him having brought the Hokage of all people to look at her, it was just a dream.

But the memory of her sobs and tears and the way she had clung to him still made his stomach drop with worry and that was a strong enough emotion to push away any guilt he could be feeling.

The other distraction was his utter dislike of the blonde as he came into his house and found her already sipping a glass of water, which he assumed she got from the kitchen while he was gone.

"So where's the sleeping beauty then?" she enquired, giving him another smirk that stated teasing. Sasuke gave her a glare in return. "Upstairs in her room."

"Heh." Tsunade smirked again, turning to the stairs and starting up, still sipping her drink leisurely.

"Is she awake? I wouldn't want to suddenly barge in if she's-oh."

She stopped, looking up the stairs at something. Sasuke leaned against the wall; arms crossed waiting for Hinata's voice to come down the stairs. He was glad she had woken and come to investigate…

No real shinobi would have slept through the entire racket Tsunade was making.

"…T-tsunade-sama…" Hinata began, her voice sounding weak.

The hokage frowned up at the girl. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked a little yellow, though she had changed into training gear and looked as though she was ready to rush out the door.

"Hinata… are all you all right?" Tsunade's voice changed rapidly from teasing superior to mother. "Come here…"

Hinata obeyed without a word, walking down the steps to where Tsunade stood, her eyes lowered to the ground, ashamed that she looked so weak in the presence of her mentor.

"Bloody hell… it looks like you had chakra sucked right out of you…" the Hokage whispered, mainly to herself as she examined Hinata's face and hands.

Sasuke clenched his jaw, staring at the ground while the examination went on; her words making a headache hit him like a train.

_Chakra sucked out of her…? How is that even possible…_

"I need you to sit down." Tsunade muttered, dragging the Hyuuga heiress over to the couches in the living room.

Hinata complied without a word, allowing the Hokage to shove her down onto the couch. Frowning worriedly Tsunade sat down beside her, taking her face in her hands to examine the dark circles under her eyes.

"…have you been sleeping properly?" Tsunade muttered, frowning.

Hinata's eyes flickered over to Sasuke sharply then back down at the ground at his worried frown, heat engulfing her face rapidly.

"..ano…"

Tsunade started, misunderstanding the look that crossed between the two youngsters. "Well, well, well…." She began, leaning back, unsure of how to react. "…I…wasn't aware that you two were-"

"Wha-" Hinata began, startled out of her daze.

"We're not!" Sasuke snapped, giving Tsunade a strong enough glare to melt solid metal. The hokage smirked, looking back and forth between the two wide eyed blushing teens.

"Sure." She grunted, taking Hinata's face in her hands again. "I sure hope that's the truth. Or she might be pregnant for all you know, maybe that's what's making her so ill-"

"Tsunade-sama!" Hinata gasped, tearing herself away sharply. "Please…"

"Fine fine." The hokage sighed, rolling her eyes at the Uchiha avenger shaking with contained frustration.

"Tell me about the nightmare." She put in bluntly, turning to look at Hinata again, focusing on her young apprentice fully.

Hinata flinched, looking down at her hands sharply. "…nani? I-it's just a-"

"Don't mess with me, young lady." Tsunade interrupted sharply.

The Hyuuga heiress sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Demo… I c-can't."

Sasuke bit his lip sharply, holding back his frustrated snap. He wanted to know what it was, it was killing him not to know.

She had been dreaming about him for crying out loud, for some reason that made his whole body go through a shock of cold and hot.

"Sasuke." Tsunade muttered, turning to look at him, smirking broadly. "Don't you have something to do? You being the unofficial head captain of a whole security squad and all."

The Uchiha flinched mentally, spassing wordlessly at the demented Hokage.

"No." he replied simply, contradictory to what he really wanted to say.

"Heh. That's a surprise." She smiled again. "Get out."

Taking a deep breath to control his temper he turned and left, slamming the door so forcefully behind him that the frame by the hall fell and shattered… again.

Hinata gave a little jump at the noise but didn't look up, staring with worried eyes at her hands.

"H-he is upset."

"He's just curious." Tsunade replied affectionately, patting her on the head. "Now, the dream?"

"…must I?"

"Yes." The blonde sighed. "Yes, you must. Whatever it is, I can tell it wasn't a normal dream, it sucked enough chakra out of you to be something different. I'm not particularly superstitious however if I had to bet I'd say you had some sort of premonition."

Hinata's hands clenched and unclenched. "No…I've had this dream often since I was very young."

"Really." Tsunade paid close attention, suddenly curious herself. "What was it?"

Taking a deep breath Hinata looked away, frustrated. She hated the idea of sharing the inner most thoughts of her consciousness… but Tsunade-sama was her sensei, her superior in everything. If she really wanted to she could just order her to tell her.

Sighing she nodded, forcing herself to start.

"…It always starts with me running away…"

* * *

Sasuke stared at the steps of his front door, sitting there silently, watching the leafs of nearby trees dancing across the cobblestones that made up the pathway to the entrance.

He wanted desperately to go inside and listen, but he knew better. Despite his curiosity he sat still, looking like his usual vaguely bored self as he stared at the ground, thinking more of what was going on inside than what was around him.

After a while of pondering what could be happening inside a thought he had ignored until then began to nag at him again, the small thought that he had had in the morning… the one he had tucked away to examine later.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair silently hesitant to examine the emotion that had begun to develop in his mind when he thought about Hinata.

But he wasn't an idiot, he knew affection when he felt it… It was just accepting it that was the problem.

Affection of course was one thing. She was his friend, more or less, though you'd never hear him say it. If he saw anyone hurt her he would probably strangle them on the spot, but then again he would do that for most of the girls he had grown up with. It was just a sort of courtesy he figured his mother would expect of him… as would most of the village population.

But for some reason Hinata was different. It felt different.

He bit his lip and shoved the thought away, staring off into the street and the trees moving to the breeze.

No… he couldn't think about it.

* * *

Two hours later Tsunade appeared outside, closing the door quietly behind her.

Sasuke didn't move or make any sign to state he had heard her but waiting patiently as she stepped down onto the road and turned back to look at him, looking thoughtful.

"She needs a good night's rest, that's all." She muttered, rubbing her neck. "There's nothing obviously wrong with her."

"Hn." He studied her, wondering if the older woman would give any information. His curiosity had been quieted by the waiting and the state of silent absent mindedness he had managed to drive himself into.

But it was there, and probably would drive him crazy all night long if he didn't know 'something'.

Reading quite clearly the hidden expression on the Uchiha's face Tsunade sighed, stepping up to him and crouching down to his level.

"The dream is hers to share. You were in it, I assume you know."

Sasuke looked back at her silently, his hands twined in front of his face, mouth pressed into a thin line of impassiveness.

"It is nothing, for the time being. I require you to pay close attention to your duties as captain of the security team, leave the dreaming to Hinata." She ordered, pushing herself up.

"What have you found out, by the way?"

"Nothing. I sent a team of three out to the Rain where there's a possible lead on Akatsuki." He replied shortly, infuriated with his own curiosity and the reality that he would have to live with it unsatisfied for some time. Somehow he didn't expect Hinata to suddenly share her dreams with him.

"I see… and you have nothing to do but wait for now, ne?' Tsunade sighed, glancing back at him, stopping at the gate of the mansion garden.

Sasuke nodded slightly, only the slightest inclination of his head. "Hai."

"How irksome." She murmured, rubbing her temple irritably. "Please inform me of any news, concerning either the mission or Hinata. All right?"

The avenger nodded again, impatient for her to leave.

"And take care of her." Tsunade added over her shoulder, fixing him with a look of mixed interest and force. Sasuke scoffed, a sound that made her think he knew that already.

Smirking in satisfaction Tsunade finally left, letting the gate slam shut as she exited.

Released finally, Sasuke stood turning around to face the doorway, frowning at it thoughtfully. Whatever state Hinata was in he didn't care…

But somehow he was nervous going inside. Licking his lips he sighed, rotating his shoulders as he took hold of the doorknob, stepping into the lit house to the smell of something already cooking in the kitchen and her steady humming coming from the room.

It was noon… it only made sense.

"S-sasuke-kun?" Her voice called as the door closed behind him. He blinked, surprised that she could hear him so far away, he had made a point to close the door quietly.

"Hn?" he called, walking slowly towards the kitchen and stopping to lean against the frame as was his custom.

She had her back to him, reaching for the salt above the stove on her tiptoes, and apron hanging around her waist looking a little strange on top of her training gear.

"…H-has Ino-chan been around?"

Sasuke flinched, recalling the order she had been given the night before, to report to the training site early in the morning.

"No." he replied, frowning slightly.

"Hn." Hinata replied, sounding much like him as she scooped a bit of salt up between her fingers and dumped it on the contents in the pan.

"P-perhaps I-I should go f-find her w-when this is d-done to apologize…"

"I'll go tell her the situation." Sasuke put in sharply, turning around.

Hinata stared at him a moment, making him stop to look back over his shoulder at her questionably.

"Ano… arigato…Sasuke-kun." She mumbled, coloring rapidly. "G-gomen…Tsunade-sama s-sent you o-out and I-"

"It's fine." He shrugged. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hinata nodded, rubbing her arm thoughtfully as he vanished, the butterflies in her stomach doing odd loops.

Something of a smile tickled her lips for a moment as she turned back around, blinking at the stir fry in the pan.

"_He had better be taking good care of you, Hinata." Tsunade grumbled, pushing herself to her feet. _

_Hinata looked at her thoughtfully, pondering the truth behind that comment. She remembered how he had carried her home the first time at the training site, how he had changed her out of her soiled clothing when she had been disowned, how he had been training her respectfully for months and how he had made a point to stay home each night for dinner because she cooked… and last, how he had held her when she had been too disoriented to contain herself that morning. _

"…_ano… He is…" she blinked back up at Tsunade's surprised expression. "He really is."_

Hinata smiled, turning to glance in the fridge thoughtfully.

_Maybe there's some tomato I can use for dinner… It is his favorite food…after all…

* * *

_

**There is gonna be a SKIP.**

**Yes, yeah, I know I'm kinda dragging it on and on- but wait my friends, the skip is for the sake of ALL our sanities. **

**It is at the beginning of the Chuunin examination- that's where the true action starts. Keep in mind this is sometime during juuune.. I think….:D **

**READ. REVIEW.**

**-inky**


	21. Chp 3: Accomplished

**I said the heat was on this chappie, so the heat is ON people.**

**Ahem.**

**Read.Review.**

**-ink**

* * *

"Do you have any links?" Sasuke muttered, looking over at Shikamaru with something like impatience, though it was heavily coated with simple impassiveness. Shikamaru didn't bother to take note and shook his head, flipping through another letter that Tenten had sent on their way back from the Rain.

"Nothing. Akatsuki isn't known for leaving trails, however. It makes sense that we would have trouble finding anything."

"Shit." The avenger hissed, showing for a few seconds an uncharacteristic amount of emotion. The others, being Shino, Choji, Naruto, Sakura, Lee and Shikamaru glanced at him in surprise.

Irritated both by his outburst and their looks, the Uchiha dropped the reports on the table, looking out to the bright late spring sun and the cloudless blue sky.

Something just didn't feel right. Tenten and her team had been at the Rain for as much time as they could afford. The examination was to begin the next day, teachers and their students were already arriving at the village gates demanding passage.

Sasuke had had no other choice but to allow the entrance of the students, making sure that the guards at the gates were doubled and that each contestant was clearly recorded. So far there was no one that they had any reason to doubt…

But then again, no one had doubted the Sound nin a few years ago.

"I need you and Shino to go over the amount of shinobi we have at our disposal." Sasuke stated suddenly, turning to look at Shikamaru thoughtfully, his expression back to its usual impassiveness. "Prepare the stadium as well, take Choji and Sakura with you, I need a medical team on standby…"

Naruto nodded in approval, looking seriously uneasy himself. They had discussed earlier in the day the possibility of a full possibly deadly attack from Akatsuki that morning. The odds were against them. Akatsuki was the most sophisticated group of S-class missing nin in the history of shinobi, and they were all hardly old enough to be past Chuunin level…

The information they had gathered was just enough for them to know something was coming, but they had no idea what, nor why. When they had informed the hokage she had not been pleased, reprimanding both the captain's with harsh words and disappointment.

Sasuke and Naruto were still licking their wounds from the verbal abuse, but they had no time for that either. Time was against them…. Akatsuki could already be inside the village for all they knew.

Frustrated Sasuke turned back to Lee. "Meet Tenten and the others at the village gates, tell them to rest and then join the rest of the team in the morning at the examination building to back up the other shinobi stationed there."

"What about Ino and Hinata?" Naruto put in suddenly, thoughtfully pondering over the pretty white eyed kunoichi's disappearance.

Sasuke had said little of the Hyuuga heiress since he and Sakura had returned from the Sand. Ino and Hinata vanished each morning and aside from Sakura's reports that Hinata was still attending the clinic every afternoon to run her department no one saw her.

It wasn't much different from when she had first moved in with Sasuke, but for obviously bitter reasons it irritated Naruto more.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that having Hinata suddenly attached to someone else had made it obvious how dependant he was on her affection….

Jealousy had been making him sour whenever she came into the conversation, despite the fact that his best friend albeit his worst rival was the one who spent most of his time with her.

"I will speak to them about it." Sasuke replied shortly, onyx eyes focusing on Naruto carefully, narrowing in thought. Something passed between them in the silence that followed…

Yes, they both knew. There was new rivalry there.

Sakura watched silently, clenching her jaw in an effort to keep from saying something, anything to break the silence… It was amazing, how invisible she had been become to both of her old team mates.

"That's it for today." Naruto stated suddenly, taking on the leader's baton without difficulty. He stood, pushing the reports towards Sakura slowly, eyes studying them half heartedly, knowing they would be useless once the real struggle started. "We'd better be ready tomorrow in the morning."

"Hn." Sasuke agreed.

The two shinobi ignored each other for the rest of the time they spent in the same building and once outside gladly left each other's presence without a word, despite their being so much to say.

* * *

The clinic that Tsunade had founded had been built out of the woman's own money. Something of a miracle, seeing as the blonde was often so broke she couldn't buy her own clothing. But once she had a winning streak while gambling she had made the right choice to use it for something useful and invested in a 'clinic' which was more of a hospital really than a clinic.

Sasuke knew the address, and had actually passed by it several times, and even dropped Hinata off there once or twice after training while she headed to work, however he had never set foot in the place.

It had never occurred to him to wonder exactly what the Hyuuga heiress did within the walls of the clinic but at that moment as he stood facing the building made of stone, brick and glass he realized that he actually didn't know…

Frowning slightly he shifted his weight, blinking at the clinic in the dusk sun, surprised that something of such magnitude had passed by him unnoticed.

Pondering what he would say when he entered he started up the steps, pushing the glass door open into the air conditioned lobby that smelled just like any hospital, of bleach and warm breath.

Uncomfortable in the white washed room he walked slowly towards the receptionist, pondering how he would ask for Hinata if he didn't know where she worked…

Still he cleared his throat slightly and forced the girl riffling through files to look up and stare, her young face frozen into something like awe.

"…eh…Sasuke-sama!" she gasped, dropping the folders.

Sasuke started, feeling his inner self give a low warning of _fangirl…_

"W-what can I do for you?" she stuttered, picking up the fallen folders quickly, dumping them carelessly to the side and focusing on him completely, searching his face for any sign of need.

The Uchiha looked at her hesitantly, unsure of what exactly was happening. "…where would I find Hinata-" he began slowly, blinking as the girl jumped out of her chair.

"I'll take you to Hinata-sama! No problem." She left the desk in a hurry, making him glance around at the empty lobby, wondering just who would man the receptionist desk if there was no one there…

But deciding not to complain he followed, walking through halls of white with carts dotting the sides, heavy with clean towels and other disinfected objects.

"Ne, Hinata-sama has been very busy these last few months, but we're so happy you've allowed her to take some time off her training to be here." The girl continued talking rapidly, her voice was pleasant enough to listen to, and she wasn't exactly clinging to him…

It was comforting to know Hinata worked with girls who had brains.

"Hn." He replied, talkative as usual. The girl didn't seem to mind but continued on, talking about how busy the department was all the time and how it had been hell without Hinata-sama there.

Curious now as to whatever it was that Hinata did, Sasuke listened intently, but she never said.

Suddenly, however, she was stopping at a pair of double doors, nodding inside. "She's probably here." She murmured, knocking very lightly and opening one of the doors quietly, as if to not wake someone inside.

A sweet smell slipped out from the room, making Sasuke frown, trying to place it. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had come across it before.

The girl however was peeking into the bright room. "Hinata-sama?" she whispered. Sasuke frowned again, confused by the secrecy with which she moved.

There was silence for a moment and then Hinata appeared at the door, a white powder stained her shoulder and she had a soft blanket in her hands, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

Her eyes were wide, wider than he ever saw them, brilliant in the light of the dusk sun pouring in from one of the hall windows. Her hair was down, a curtain of dark ink spilling around her, contrasting sharply with her creamy blouse.

Rosy cheeked and smiling she peeked out of the room and started in surprise at Sasuke. "..S-sasuke-kun." She blinked, stepping outside and closing the door behind her quietly.

The nurse just bowed her head slightly at Sasuke and smiled before leaving wordlessly.

Sasuke stared at Hinata for a moment. She seemed different there, in the bright light of the hospital, as though something had been taken off her shoulders.

"I-is everything all r-right?…w-what are you…doing here? " Hinata blinked, playing with the soft blanket in her hands. It was light blue and looked to be fleece, soft like feathers.

The avenger hesitated, opening his mouth to say he had come to ask her about Ino and what role she should play in the mission the next day, but somehow he didn't want to leave, he wanted to see what was inside that made her glow so much…

Surprising them both he gave a careless shrug. "No reason."

The girl stared at him, confused. "Nani-" she began but a soft cry cut her off. The two shinobi tuned themselves to the sound coming from inside the room, a whimper and half sob.

It was a child's cry.

Hinata turned to the doorway, already rushing to get in, but froze, turning to look back at him hesitantly, as though she didn't know what to do with him.

"Ano… I…do you want to come in?" she started, looking back at him cautiously.

The avenger listened again as another cry sounded, the whimper igniting something odd in his chest, something he hadn't felt before.

"…sure." He shrugged again, watching relief flood her face as she slipped into the room, holding the door open for him before closing it again quietly.

Sasuke stared the moment he stepped inside. The room was large and long, two rows of cribs lined both walls, with shelves and cupboards above them heavy with blankets, bottles, diapers and other things he didn't quite recognize. The walls weren't completely white, they were lined with blue and pink balloons and teddy bears that smiled.

There was another door, which was open leading into another room with half the wall made of glass. He could see several other cribs, but these were dotted with IV's and other monitoring equipment. He could not see the children lying within.

Hinata had already moved away from him and was leaning over one of the cribs, her hair glittering by the light of the sun pouring in through the window in the far wall.

"Sshhh, little one..." she murmured, straightening up with a babe in her arms. He was so small that his whole body was as long as her elbow to her fingers. Gently she lay the whimpering boy against her shoulder, crooning soft words of comfort, walking quietly back towards him, looking up to meet his awed expression.

Something about his surprise made her smile up at him, breathing in the innocent smell of the baby's head.

"Ne…" she murmured once she was close enough to whisper and be heard. "Have you ever held a baby?"

Sasuke looked at her a moment, blushing for no apparent reason. This situation was so… unexpected. Nothing he had ever trained for had ever been related to this part of life. Hinata smiled at his wordless response and extended the babe in her arms towards him. "Here." She laughed quietly as he shook his head slowly. "Ne… trust me." She added, watching his cheeks reddening more, if possible.

It was amazing… he was blushing and she was not.

Sasuke fidgeted for a moment, unsure of what to do, but she did not pull the youngster back, and finally giving up he reached out, wrapping his arms around the tiny thing. He couldn't help the fact that his hands were trembling slightly. Glancing nervously at Hinata for assurance he cradled the child in his arms, looking down at the innocent face. The rosy cheeked babe yawned toothlessly, blinking his wide eyes in the bright light, wrinkling his nose slightly.

Slowly he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, surprised that the small fragile thing had not fallen apart in his arms.

"…see…it's not so hard." Hinata whispered suddenly, making him look up at her, remembering she was standing there watching.

Her eyes met his for a moment with a confidence and comfort he did not recall ever seeing before. The moment stretched out before them, a pain starting in their chests suddenly, like someone was pressing into them forcefully.

Sasuke's gaze flickered down to her lips for half a second and he drew back, startled by the thoughts rushing through his mind…

_Don't think it, don't think it…_

Hinata let out a surprised breath, pulling back as well, letting go of his arm quickly and turning around to walk over to another cradle, unsure of what to say, her whole face flaming at the realization that they had stared at each other wordlessly for a good thirty seconds or so.

Sasuke watched her for a moment, frowning slightly before looking back down at the child, who was now blinking at him with eyes so big they took up most of his face.

It let out a gurgling wail, reaching it's small hand up towards him.

_Now what do I do with him…?_

The wail however seemed to ignite several other calls from other cradles, making Hinata look around worriedly. "Uh oh…" she mumbled, watching a few begin to complain, rubbing their eyes in childish frustration.

"Hn…" Sasuke hummed suddenly, looking around in surprise at the amount of sound the small things could make. "They get loud quickly."

At his words utter silence closed in, making Hinata turn to look at him, wide eyed.

The silence held out for a few seconds as the two Shinobi blinked at each other in surprise but was broken again as another child began to let out a cry of discomfort.

"…that was strange." Sasuke muttered, frowning.

And the silence came again.

Hinata's hands came up to her mouth, covering the grin that was tickling her lips. "Ne, ne…" she giggled. "Speak again, quick!"

"What?" he blinked at her. "Why?"

The silence continued, the babe in his arms staring at him wordlessly, large brown eyes fixated on his face.

"…it's your voice…" Hinata began in wonder, listening to the children beginning to whine again, letting out the frustrated whimpers of small people unable to convey their needs and wants.

"…what are you talking about?" Sasuke retorted, panicking slightly. But the moment he spoke he had proved himself wrong, for the children grew silent and listened again. He sighed, breathing softly their smell sweet and innocent as was the room they were in and the eyes that they watched him with.

"Keep talking." Hinata began, turning to walk towards him, listening as the babies began to fidget, making small noises to get the attention of the shinobi at the door.

"Nani?" he grumbled. "About what?"

"Anything." She replied, "I need to change most of them, and give a few a bath. They need to be quiet." She looked at him seriously for a moment. "Please?"

Sasuke sighed, looking down at the baby in his arms, watching him open his mouth and let out a frustrated squeal.

"…fine. Demo.." he muttered, looking around. "What do I say?"

"Ne, what's your favorite color, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata smiled suddenly, making him stare. "…blue…"

"Why?" she grinned again, blushing despite herself as she watched 'him' blush.

"…ano.." he muttered, sounding much like her. "…it…reminds me of rain…"

"You like the rain?" she blinked, picking up another of the babies and carrying him over to the changing table by him.

"…hai…" he continued hesitantly, somewhat uncomfortable with the situation.

"So do I." Hinata admitted, unbuttoning the little pajamas on the child. "Why do you like the rain, Sasuke-kun?"

"…ano.." he mumbled, glancing out at the window. "…it…washes away blood…"

The silence continued for a few moments, even Hinata had stopped moving, staring at the baby in front of her with a softened expression.

_It washes away blood…_

"…why do you like the rain?' He asked suddenly, before the first child could start to complain. He looked down at the baby as a distraction, studying the features on his childish face.

"Because…" Hinata smiled slightly, beginning to change the babe again. "…it cries with you."

Sasuke smirked suddenly, amused by the hilariously poetic versions of their take on rain.

"Why do you say it washes away blood?" Hinata enquired softly, concentrating on both changing the baby and the conversation so much that the stutter vanished, making Sasuke look at her curiously, too distracted by the babe in his hands to notice that he was actually talking.

"It's the only thing that washed away the blood on the Uchiha compound…" he replied, watching for her reaction with care.

Slowly her shoulders tightened, but her hands kept moving, continuing to gently remove the clothing from the child in front of her.

"…I see…" she murmured finally.

He did not say anything for a moment, wondering if she would continue, but the children began their wailing again and she turned, carrying the fully changed boy in her arms.

"What's your favorite food?" at this she flashed him a quick smile. "I know this one, I think."

He colored rapidly, looking anywhere but her, trying not to smirk too obviously. "Tomatoes…"

"How come?"

"Oka-san… used to put them in my lunch when I was younger."

"Did you like them then too?"

Sasuke started in surprise. No one had ever asked him that question. Hinata continued to tuck the baby into it's respective crib, completely unaware of having startled the Uchiha Avenger.

"…no, I didn't."

She let out a laugh. "I understand."

They stood in silence for a moment, wondering if maybe they didn't have to talk anymore… both unsure if they wanted it to stop.

But the babies began their soft whimpers, choosing for them and Hinata turned to look at him, grinning sheepishly.

"Ne, keep talking, Sasuke-kun, please."

Sasuke smirked back, the first half smile he had ever given her, watching with utter satisfaction he could not deny as her cheeks colored.

"Sure…"

* * *

"Raspberry ice cream?" Hinata turned to look back at him in utter surprise, folding the blankets carefully. The children had long fallen asleep… but they had not realized it, or if they had they has chosen to ignore it.

The sound of their soft breaths and the sweetening scent of their innocent clean bodies had made even the cold Uchiha slightly less stoic than usual.

He was sitting with his back against the wall, between two cribs across from Hinata, still holding the same baby she had handed him earlier in the day, nearly two hours ago. The sun had long since fallen and the electric lights had had to be turned on but they had not noticed and had not cared.

"Hai." He smirked, looking out at the bright moon. "Raspberry."

"I thought you did not like sweets?" Hinata blinked, taking the pile of blankets in her arms and heading over to the shelf on the other side of the room.

"I don't."

"Nani?" she blinked, letting out a soft laugh. "I don't understand."

"I don't know. I just like it." He shrugged, enjoying the sound of her laughter.

"M-maybe you would like other sweets then, if you tried them." Hinata put in thoughtfully. "After all, the only reason you tried raspberry icecream was because Misa-chan threw it at you when you were little…"

Sasuke smirked broadly, trying not to roll his eyes at the memory. "At the time I was more disgusted with the fact that she had tried to kiss me…"

"You were five, I'm not surprised." Hinata giggled, shaking her head slightly as she shut the cupboard. "Ne, you are very popular."

"Heh." He grunted. "Unfortunately."

The Hyuuga heiress walked over and crouched down, extending her arms out to take the child. "Oh?' she blinked at him, taking the baby without difficulty. "Unfortunate?"

"Do you recall Valentine's Day?" he grumbled, giving her a look as he passed the baby over. A laugh escaped her then and she nodded. "Ne, ne, now I understand."

"Hn." He smirked, pushing himself to his feet.

He stretched, rotating his shoulders as she tucked the last child into it's crib, picking up a clipboard on to the door.

"…ano, have you had dinner yet?" Hinata enquired, walking backwards down the hall. Sasuke shrugged, fiddling with some loose change in his pockets. "No."

"…ano… I didn't make any today." Hinata admitted, turning around to walk beside him. Sasuke shrugged, smirking slightly as he glanced at her thoughtfully.

"Are you hungry?" He asked suddenly as she put the clipboard down on the receptionists counter, signing off something or other.

"…a little." She laughed, glancing up at him as she signed.

They froze suddenly, realizing they had walked completely unaware into a corner.

"…oh…ano…I mean…" Hinata laughed nervously, feeling her whole face begin to heat up. She turned to look at the paper sharply, licking her lips nervously.

"Maybe the others will be at the Ramen Shop." Sasuke shrugged, ruffling his own hair sheepishly, blushing despite his best intentions to remain calm.

"H-hai!" Hinata nodded, reaching over the counter to put the clipboard down.

Uncertainly they both started out the door, Hinata waving good bye at the nurses that peeked from the halls, giggling to one another as they watched the two shy shinobi walk out into the star filled night.

"…they're so cute!" The receptionist giggled. "And he's just like Hinata-sama has been saying these past few months!"

The others nodded. "I thought she thought of him like that because of how badly she was crushing.." one of them muttered, running to the window to watch them walking down the street.

"Ne, ne…" The receptionist grinned. "I don't think that's a crush."

* * *

"Ano…" Hinata began, glancing at him curiously. "How did the m-meeting go?"

Sasuke blinked, coming back to the reality of being the captain of the security team. He sighed, shrugging again. "Nothing new. Tenten's team is heading back today, they should be home now."

"Hn." She replied softly, frowning slightly, thinking of her cousin.

"What do you think Ino should do tomorrow?" Sasuke enquired finally, recalling that was the reason why he had gone to the clinic in the first place.

The Hyuuga heaved a sigh, more open than usual with her exasperation. "I don't know… She is listening to my orders, but refusing to think for herself. I…have been considering just pulling her from the team completely." She admitted, rubbing her face. "She… is mad at me."

"Hn." He nodded slowly, glancing at her, knowing full well what kind of situation she was struggling with.

"D-do you think…maybe I should tell her to stay home?" Hinata enquired, looking at him. He bit his lip, looking back at her thoughtfully as they walked. "You may be sacrificing your friendship."

Hinata flinched, looking down at her hands. "H-hai… I know."

"Perhaps you should talk to her about it instead?"

She nodded rapidly, glad to hear the words coming from him rather than having to say them herself. It would have felt like the easy way out if she chose it herself.

They lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, until the lights of the shops on the street that the Ramen Shop was on came into view, lighting up the road. Nervousness suddenly crawled over them both.

Praying fervently for someone else, anyone else to be there Hinata peeked in, slipping into the shop thoughtfully.

To their utter relief there were Sakura, Naruto and Ino and a bottle of sake between them. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow slightly. _Drinking before a mission…?_

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, Naruto-kun!" Hinata called, walking over to them hesitantly.

Naruto turned sharply at the sound of her voice, breaking into a smile the moment he saw her. "Hinata-chan! Hi!" He called, standing up and to everyone's utter surprise giving her a hug.

Sasuke's jaw tightened as he watched, resisting the urge to shove the blonde away. Hinata stepped back, startled, blushing but only slightly.

"..ano…hi…Naruto-kun…" she blinked, stumbling into Sasuke accidentally as she stepped back.

His hands suddenly came down on her shoulder's gently, relief twisting in her his chest at her withdrawal from the blonde's grip. "Yo." Sakura muttered irritably, swirling a cup of sake in her hand. "You've finally come out of hiding, ne? You're so busy all the time."

"She works like a horse, now don't you, Hinata-sensei." Ino grumbled, looking less than sober herself.

Hinata's shoulders tightened slightly, shrinking into Sasuke unconsciously, feeling quite clearly their hostility.

"Ano… Ino-chan… W-what are you doing o-out so l-late-?"

"What, now I have a curfew?" Ino snapped, giving her a look. Even Sakura stared at the blonde warily. Naruto walked over to her, taking the sake bottle away. "Ino… I think, maybe you've had a bit much…"

"What the hell does it matter? I'm not doing anything tomorrow anyway, ne, Hinata-sensei?" she mocked, trying to grab the bottle back.

Hinata bit her lip, feeling a short shiver pass through her. "C-come on… Ino-chan. I'll help you home, if you want…" she began, forcing her voice to be steady.

"No, I don't think so. Your training session ended a while ago." Ino snapped, crossing her arms. "Not that I learned anything."

"Ino…" Sakura murmured, eyes shifting nervously between Hinata and the drunk blonde. Hinata didn't react, but stared back at Ino, eyes narrowed slightly.

_She's not quite drunk…there's logic there…this is another fight. _

_What do I do? I can't just…snap at her…_

The feline woke as Ino stood, giving her a look that stated how irritated she was.

Irritably the feline bit down on the chain holding it down, wishing to be free…and Hinata saw no reason to not cut it some slack.

"You didn't learn anything?' She enquired softly, looking at the blonde thoughtfully, hands clenched at her sides, feeling the assurance of Sasuke's hands still on her shoulder. It was like he had forgotten he had left his hand there.

"Not a thing!" Ino snapped. "You're useless as a teacher- maybe that's why you're so worried that I'll end up screwing up so bad that everyone dies if they go on a mission with me-"

"You. Are the most stubborn, infuriating, headstrong, arrogant, annoying student I've ever been unfortunate enough to meet, you're so incapable of learning that you've put me off teaching forever. No one would want to teach anything after knowing there's the possibility of meeting another one like you. And I even 'know' why you haven't learned anything, and let me tell you something, Ino-_chan."_ She snapped, walking directly into Ino's personal space without a care, jabbing her finger into her chest. "The reason you've learned 'nothing' is because you. don't. want to! And unless you listen to me you are not going to do _anything _for this Chuunin exam. Do you understand me?"

The silence that followed that little speech was filled with electric tension, but Hinata didn't care, only Ino's look of utter shock was of any importance, shock and sudden respect.

"Do you understand me?" Hinata snapped again, making the blonde jump slightly. "H-hai!" she gasped, nodding. "Gomen!"

"D-d-dattebayo!" Naruto gaped, staring at Hinata with a whole new wave of utter attraction. "Holy hell…"

Sakura just leaned her head over into her arms tiredly, shaking her head at herself. _Just my luck…_

Sasuke was smirking so broadly it could almost be called a smile. Letting out a resigned sigh Hinata turned around, with her back to the other three she gave him a full out grin, her cheeks red from the exhilaration.

"Ne, I'm going home." She stated, to no one in particular before walking past him into the dark again. Sasuke followed her with his eyes as she walked past, biting his lip painfully to keep from smirking at the others.

Clearing his throat slightly he gave them his trademark impassive glance and turned around to follow, catching up with her down the road.

As soon as he was beside her she started to laugh, burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe I just did that!" she gasped, louder than she had ever said anything before.

Smirking in amusement he nodded. "Ino looked speechless."

"God…" she stopped, looking around in wonder. "Sasuke… I actually did it."

The Uchiha stopped to look back at her, watching her bubbling with the victory, resisting the urge to just kiss her…

Yeah… he wanted to kiss her… and there wasn't a lot he could do about it.

Shocking them both, but mostly him, she hugged him suddenly, shivering with the victory of finally standing up to 'someone', to someone who thought they could dominate her.

"I did it! I actually did it!" she pulled back for a moment to stare at him, breathless, realizing he was holding her, not the least bit awkwardly.

…_I just hugged Sasuke…_

They were close enough to feel the tickling sensation of each other's hair against their faces and feel their breath against their lips, and the not so surprising intentions in their eyes.

_And… he's hugging me back…_

Sasuke stared, he hadn't been scared while facing Orochimaru, or his minions, or when facing Gaara of the Sand, or when fighting his best friend and rival Naruto, Kyuubii vessel.

He had only been afraid once before, while facing his brother, fearing he wouldn't be able to do what he needed to do.

Now the same fear with a different tinge was gnawing at his insides.

_Kiss her… just kiss her…_

"Sasuke…I…" Hinata began, struggling for a moment to find the right words. He began to shake his head, trying to tell her not to try to explain it away.

But she was cut off anyway.

"H-Hinata?"

With a gasp the two pulled back, as though burned by each others touch to look at Neji, standing in the fading light of the shops from the street, staring at them silently.

The shock wasn't there, but his eyes were cold, like ice, somehow burning her as they landed on her face.

"Neji-nii-san…" she gasped, lifting her hands up to her lips. "N-nani- ano… W-what are you-"

"Is this how low the Hyuuga heiress has fallen?" Neji snapped, cutting her off sharply. Hinata flinched, stepping back. Sasuke frowned, taking her arm gently.

"Be carefully, Hyuuga."

"I should have known my uncle had reasons for banishing the supposed heiress." Neji snapped, looking at her and ignoring the Uchiha wordlessly. "He must have known the path you were going to choose."

Hinata stared, feeling the chain snap suddenly, fury like she had never felt before boiling within her. Tears began to pour down her face, contradicting her clenching fists, her nails digging half moons into her palms.

"He abandoned me!" she shouted suddenly, startling both the young men. "He left me to fend for myself, to reclaim my name- what need have I for a name like the Hyuugas?" she whispered, shaking her head, hands coming up to her face.

"I've done nothing wrong! Oka-san, she told me this would happen- I thought I wasn't strong enough- I am!" she sighed, rubbing her tears away with the back of her hand. "You have no right to judge me."

Neji stared, taking each word in but not understanding. "You abandoned me too, cousin." Hinata smiled weakly, shaking her head. "You thought I would allow myself to be tainted? I haven't… You thought I wouldn't be strong enough? I am… and now… now you claim I have fallen, when I have worked so hard?"

Sasuke took her arm again, pulling her back slightly, worried her anger would finally unleash the power he knew he had been training in her since the day they formally met, but she allowed him to pull her back without a fight.

"Goodbye, cousin." She muttered, turning around as Sasuke's hands guided, leading her back home.

Neji stood still, watching as they disappeared down the road, neither of them glancing back to look at him. He shivered in the cold, searching the ground for something to help him understand… but there was nothing.

He would have to find the way himself.

* * *

They entered the house in silence, Sasuke's hands refusing to come off of her. Her tears were silent, but he could feel each one as it fell almost like it was his own.

Always there was something to harm her, he felt useless standing there.

It wasn't until she hugged him again that something like vague relief flooded him. He might not be able to hold back the words that would harm her more than blows, but he could perhaps heal those wounds… if slowly.

Ignoring the nagging sense that she might panic he picked her up, listening to her slow steady breathing as he hesitated which room to go into in the hallway.

Her arms suddenly tightened around his neck and he knew it was okay. Biting his lip he walked into his room, settling them both down on his bed to stare up through the window at the stars, unmoving.

Though the intentions of any other man had crossed his mind, he didn't dare… not with someone as fragile as her.

He couldn't.

Instead they lay in utter silence, and he watched her cry, playing with her fingers, breathing in her scent without worrying about whether she could see him doing so or not.

It was late when she finally stopped crying and closed her eyes, her breathing slowing down slightly into sleep.

Sasuke watched, studying each feature of her face intently, how it was highlighted by the moonlight and how her hair contrasted sharply with her ivory skin.

He couldn't say it, but he was thinking it, and at least that was enough, for the moment…

_Ne…Hinata…I think…I think I love you….

* * *

_

**Wow, that was so fluffy/ dramatic that you'll prolly all sneeze ((gasp))**

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	22. Chp 4: Motherless Monster

**w00000t….**

**So the last chappie was interesting, ne? hehe. **

**Thank you so much for all your replies, I was giggling to myself all day long whenever I checked my email. Lol, you're all so awesome! **

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**ps. Yes, Neji is a bit of an ass in this one, I'm sorry to any Neji lovers, but he'll hopefully come around eventually.

* * *

**

"_Oka-san?"_

"_Hm?"_

"…_I…I saw t-two people on the street t-today…"_

"_Oh?"_

"_H-hai…" Hinata's little shoes swung back and forth as she kicked her legs over the water, sitting on the bridge that crowned the pond in the middle of the Hyuuga compound. _

"_What were they doing?"_

"_Ano…t-they were k-k-kissing…"_

"_Really."_

"_Mhm…ano…Oka-san?"_

"_Hai?"_

_The little fingers of the girl twisted around a lock of dark hair, moving it in circles, twirling, her legs swinging back and forth. A soft whisper of wind passed by, setting loose a handful of Sakura blossoms, they tangled in the hair of the taller elegant woman standing behind the child, wearing a kimono of glamour which stated just how powerful her family truly was. _

_But that didn't register in the mind of the child sitting fidgeting near her. Only the soft eyes and sweet lips that kissed her cheek goodnight each day were good enough to make it into her memory. _

"_They kissed d-d-different." Hinata admitted, blushing rapidly, for some reason embarrassed by the memory of the couple she had caught sight of in the street earlier that day. _

_Oka-san smiled, the amusement almost tangible in the air as she gently touched Hinata's head, moving with slow grace and dignity. _

"_One day, you'll understand. All I can say right now, is that they probably loved each other very much."_

_Hinata craned her neck to look up, bland Hyuuga eyes glittering by the light of the sun. _

"_Ano…Oka-san?"_

"_Hm?"_

"…_Is someone going to l-l-love me?"_

"_One day." The sweet eyes were smiling. "You'll know when you meet him."_

_The wind passed by again, ruffling Hinata's hair, making her giggle and close her eyes as more cherry blossoms danced around her face. The wind tickled by one of the wind chimes, making the bells let out laughing little melodies as the sun began to set, lighting up the whole area with a flash of power and warmth…_

"_One day…"_

The wind chimes were giggling. That was the first thought to enter her drowsy incredibly sleepy brain. The wind chimes were giggling… she used to say that to Oka-san, before… before….

The thought finally woke her, though slowly, dragging her out of the dream. That had felt almost like a memory.

Breathing out softly she lifted her hand up to her face, rubbing away sleep before blinking and freezing, breathing in sharply as she stared at Sasuke, asleep still, but right beside her.

Memories of the night before came flooding back and she felt slowly her whole body relaxing into the covers, listening to the wind chimes in the background, watching the light of the morning sun slowly stretching to reach Sasuke's face.

She knew him… the moment that sunlight touched his cheek he would wake. But for some reason she wasn't panicking. Calmly she waited, studying his face, smiling unconsciously at just how cute he was when sleeping… all the harshness of his eyes and the tenseness of his mouth vanished.

Her eyes lingered on his lips then, and some of the tension came back, crawling across her shoulders and making the butterflies dancing around in her stomach do little acrobatic twirls.

…_what would he do if I kissed him?_

Her face began to grow hot and she knew she was probably more pink than she had ever been before but that didn't matter, the thought still nagged and she couldn't put it down, it was as though it had decided to take refuge in her mind and there was no getting rid of it.

The sun inched closer, just at the edge of Sasuke's skin, making his dark hair reflect it's light and the varying shades of black and blue that highlighted it.

Biting her lip she watched, her hands beginning to clench uneasily as the sun finally caressed his cheek.

Holding her breath she stared down at her hands, unsure if she wanted to move despite the fact that he would probably wake soon.

The choice however was not to be hers that morning…

A shout came from outside, it sounded like Naruto, though she could hardly say seeing as they were so far away from the street. Banging echoed suddenly through the house and she pushed herself up rapidly, wide eyed.

Sasuke was following her example suddenly, her eyes flickered to his hand where a kunai glittered already, his onyx eyes didn't linger on her but focused on the door of his room, wide open to the hall.

"What was that?" he whispered, moving so quietly towards the door she could hardly feel the air shift as he passed her.

Her eyes went down to her hands, where a pair of shuriken were biting cold against her warm flesh… She hadn't even realized she had taken them out of her pocket.

Startled she looked back up at him. "I-I don't know.." she whispered back, following his example and creeping over to the door.

The two shinobi stood uncertainly by the door frame, listening to the sounds of someone opening doors randomly and slamming them downstairs.

Suddenly they heard Naruto's voice calling. "Sasuke no baka! Where the hell are you?"

Startled the two hiding shinobi dropped their hands, loosening their hold on their weapons. "Nani?" Hinata blinked. "Naruto?"

"...damnit." Sasuke hissed as he started down the hall towards the stairs. _You had damn well better have a good reason for being in my house, dobe, or I'm gonna carve your liver out and feed it to you…_

Sasuke, was not a morning person…

Hinata didn't follow after him but glanced at the mirror in the bathroom, making sure all her clothing was on correctly, or at least not… falling off or anything…

Blushing furiously she did the first four buttons up on her blouse, glad she had a shirt underneath. Quickly combing out her hair with her hands she chased after Sasuke, skipping down the steps and stopping at the foot of the stairs uncertainly.

Naruto had flung open every single door he could get his hands on, and left the front door open too, letting the sunlight from outside flood the hall.

It was a nice day, for a Chuunin exam and possible attack.

"Ne." He blonde grunted, giving Sasuke a look of dislike that was hardly masked at all. "Tsunade wants the team to move now, Kakashi thought he saw a black cloak with red clouds in the crowd…I've got the rest of the team up already."

"Shit." Sasuke snapped, rubbing his neck irritably. "What time is it?" he grunted, turning around to head back up the stairs but froze, meeting Hinata standing there uncertainly.

"I-I'll go get Ino and meet you at the stadium." She blinked back at him, quite aware of both their faces taking on a slightly pink hue the moment they laid eyes on each other and fully focused.

"Hai." He replied shortly, hurrying up the stairs, so distracted he didn't realize he was leaving her alone with Naruto.

Hinata sighed, rubbing sleep from her eyes tiredly, about to turn around to go back upstairs to change when Naruto's hand came down on her shoulder.

"Ne… Hinata-chan… are you all right?"

The Hyuuga jumped slightly, turning around to stare at him, recalling quickly the hug he had more or less forced on her the night before. "Oh-h-hai!" she nodded, taking a step so she was slightly out of his reach. "J-just sleepy-" she began, smiling nervously.

Naruto bit his lip, watching her fidgeting… almost like old times.

"Ano… Ino is okay, you know, from yesterday?" He gave a nervous laugh. "Ne… she says she deserved it…"

Hinata stared at him for a moment, unsure of what it was he wanted. "Hai…arigato." She mumbled, turning around again to head up the stairs when his hand grabbed hers.

"Wait!" he gasped. "Just wait half a moment.." he glanced around nervously, anywhere but her.

Hinata didn't look back, staring directly at the ground in a panic.

_Let go, let go of me, Naruto…_

"Listen… I just… you seem almost like you're… avoiding me."

"No." she shook her head and turned to look at him, struggling to be calm and strong and decisive with her voice. "I am busy. This isn't the t-time… Naruto-kun. I need to get Ino."

He stared at her in surprise, slightly shocked that she would look at him so impassively.

It reminded him of Sasuke.

"Ne… Right." He laughed again, trying to break the awkwardness. "Go ahead." His hand finally let go of her.

Silently Hinata turned and started up the stairs, rubbing her wrist where he had held on, frowning worriedly. Something told her that would be trouble later.

Sasuke suddenly appeared in the hall, wrapping up his arms, wearing all black, training equipment gone to replace battle gear.

"Hurry to the stadium." He said quickly, stopping at the stairs, as if trying to find something else to say.

Hinata looked back at him silently for a moment then smiled weakly. "I'll be there."

"…hai." He nodded, before turning and rushing out the door with Naruto.

_You had better be there too…_

Quickly she spun around, running into her room to find her own battle gear.

* * *

"Find them." Sasuke snapped, looking out to the stadium slowly filling with people. The entire security team except for Hinata and Ino stood behind him, fully dressed in battle outfits, looking out over the balcony at the top of the stadium. Neji stood in the shadows, he could feel the glare from across the room, but even two hormone infested young men could handle their own anger towards each other when someone as deadly as Akatsuki's team was in their midst.

"We need to find them. Set your second in command over each of your positions, I don't trust anyone else to know what to do if they bump into them." He muttered, turning around to look at the others.

Naruto nodded. "Get a handful of other Chuunin's out there as well." He added. "Spread them out, comb the crowds, do not engage them in a fight, call for aid." He tossed out headpieces as he said it.

The others nodded again. "Ne, Shikamaru, organize them." Sasuke called, searching the crowd fervently, not really paying attention to the others. Shikamaru didn't reply but turned to start figuring out where the others would be sent to search.

"Where's Hinata?" Naruto muttered to Sasuke, stepping up beside him to search the crowd, frowning.

"I don't know… She's late." He murmured slowly, glancing back at the stairs where she was supposed to appear.

He had left the house two hours ago… it only took fifteen minutes to get to the stadium.

"Send someone to find her." Naruto stated, looking at Sasuke impatiently. The Uchiha glared. "We can't afford it. She's a vice-captain anyway, she can handle herself… she's probably just having trouble finding Ino." He retorted thinly.

"There are Akatsuki walking around- your brother is walking around." Naruto snapped, finally catching Sasuke's full attention. "She's missing, and you aren't sending anyone to look for her?"

_My brother…_

_Itachi…_

Sasuke stared, fear crawling down his back, ice cold and biting like a knife. Naruto watched as all the color drained from the Uchiha, confused and a little startled. "Sasuke…?"

"Stay here!" Sasuke gasped, turning around, already sprinting down the stairs.

Naruto started. "What the hell?! Sasuke!"

"Where the hell are you two going?" Kiba snapped suddenly, "We need a captain!" Naruto froze, looking down the steps where Sasuke had disappeared. Growling in frustration he slammed his fist into the wall, turning around to face the others as captain.

* * *

There were people everywhere, crowds of smiling unaware people…

Sasuke shoved through them, earning everything from rude remarks to accusations of robbery, but he didn't stop. He could hardly hear them, his heart was beating in his ears so loud that everything else was a fading echo of itself.

_Please… please be okay…_

The stadium gates came into view finally and he shoved through ignoring the cries of protest from the shinobi stationed there.

He had to get home… how could he have been so foolish as to show even the slightest sign of affection with his brother around?

How could he have left her alone…

* * *

Hinata sighed, a mixture of relief and something like desire twisting within her the moment the door closed behind Sasuke and Naruto. She didn't want him to leave…

Fingers shaking in her hurry she pulled out her clothes, unbuttoning her shirt rapidly, dimly aware of the smell of Sasuke that clung to it.

The sun had risen a few hours ago, so it wasn't too late. Hopefully Ino would not have a hang over.

Biting her lip she pulled on the mesh shirt on top of the blank tank top. It was possibly the most comfortable battle outfit that she had. Ino had picked it out for her, and it matched all of her usual colors. Dark blue knee length pants and a beige tunic wrap around her hips, with torso wraps and arm guards.

Gathering her shuriken in her pouch she turned, starting out the door, pulling a hair elastic in her mouth as she slipped into the hall, fiddling with her hair as she walked.

Then the utter silence of the house was broken again, the sound of the front door opening smooth and quietly, but her trained ears could not be fooled.

Those were steps of a shinobi.

Frozen, staring at the wall, opposite the hall she listened, closing her eyes for a moment to concentrate.

There were two… two people at least.

"Is it empty?' One enquired.

Male. The voice was husky and low, rough and almost tangible.

She flinched in response, taking an uncertain step back softly.

"Hn." The familiar response came, the voice however was deeper, darker, more like the silky sensation of a cold blade against her throat.

"What are we looking for?" the first asked, the steps echoing as he stepped into the living room.

Swallowing forcefully she stepped back down the hall slowly, her body moving the way a deer hesitates after being caught in the headlights.

"Nothing in particular." The second replied calmly, the silky smooth words sliding down her back.

Clenching her jaw the young kunoichi glanced nervously at the door to one of the rooms in the hall. It was empty aside from a closet…

Forcing herself to move as quietly and lithely as a panther she slipped into the room, listening intently for the tread of the two men downstairs, opening and closing doors though far less loudly than Naruto had earlier that morning.

Breathing in and out in the fashion Sasuke had taught her she slipped into the tiny closet, closing the door enough that she couldn't be seen, but could see into the empty room with her Byakugan.

"Itachi." The first voice said suddenly, making her tense up. The fact that they had gone up the stairs without her hearing it was forgotten in comparison to the reality of what he had said.

_Itachi… Itachi Uchiha… His brother…_

Her eyes widened in shock and sudden fear. _Oh my God…_

"What is it, Raku?' the cold voice of the Uchiha Slayer stated, just on the other side of the door.

Fear like no other crawled over her, its slimy cold hands gripping her heart and throat in it's fist.

"There's another occupied room." Kisame grunted. "Look's like it's a woman."

"Hn… How about the rest of the rooms?"

The door opened and her heart felt like it stopped drumming suddenly, frozen into a painful stone in place of her heart.

Her eyes focused on the black cloak with red clouds that passed by her line of vision. Her eyes were so wide she closed them for fear of seeing more than she ever could, terrified that her Byakugan would allow her to see the face of Sasuke's nightmares.

Suddenly the stone in her chest began to beat frantically and she was sure they would hear it's beat. Shivering she closed her eyes, listening intently, praying.

_Please… please…_

"Nothing." Kisame muttered, closing the door with a bang that made her clench into a small ball, teeth clenched so they wouldn't chatter.

_They will kill me…_

The fears that had always hindered her before came flooding back, making her hands sweat and her eyes sting.

_They could easily kill me… everything father has ever said about me would be proved true… they will kill Sasuke…_

Her eyes opened, staring into the darkness of the room. The single thought seemed to vanquish the others, eliminating them without strain.

_I have to warn him…_

But the voices continued, they were talking, mainly Kisame as they rummaged through the house.

"What're we doing here anyway?" He grumbled. "It's useless."

"Curiosity's sake." Itchai replied softly. "I wondered if perhaps my little brother was old enough to receive something I have been keeping for him."

Hinata let out a breath, listening intently. Kisame too seemed curious.

"Really? What? His death?"

There was no laugh to his sour joke. "No. A necklace… his mothers."

"Wasn't she your mother as well?"

"Nightmares don't have mothers, Kisame."

_His mother's… his mother's necklace? Why?_

Hinata closed her eyes tightly, laying her head down on her knees as she listened to them tearing the house to bits, plates shattering, shelves falling, windows breaking. She could tell from the noise that it was mainly Kisame's doing.

Itachi had all but vanished, his presence was so quiet even her careful ears could not detect him often.

It seemed an eternity, an eternity of anguish, of waiting and wishing to run and tell him not to come.

Her terror was that the possibility of Sasuke arriving, coming back because she had not showed up with Ino at the stadium…

How long had it been? An hour? Two hours? A day?

But he didn't come, and somehow she was glad… so glad…

Even after they had left she didn't move, sitting in utter silence, staring down into the dark, her whole body shocked into stillness.

Akatsuki was there…

And Itachi had come. Sasuke was in danger.

She had never felt more inadequate in her life…

* * *

The door was wide open. That was the only thing he could think of. The door was wide open, and there was shattered glass across the hallway floor…

He felt it, the adrenaline start to pump to his veins.

For the longest time he had loathed the night, the full moon mainly, because it could shine high in the sky and his memory would play tricks on him, making him see the blood red sky behind it like the memory of his nightmare…

The nightmare that never ended.

And now he was terrified, terrified that he would loathe the day as well.

If she was gone… if she was gone he didn't know what he would do…

But the thought of shedding his own blood was prowling the corners of his conscious mind, whispering of the enticing relief of death. Something was disgusting about that. Disgusting in the sense that he was so weak. It was just a thought, however, just a though.

A tempting, real, thought.

His whole body was trembling, despite the fact that he was a shinobi and had faced horrors worse than a break and entry.

Breathing slowly, trying to swallow the knot tightening around his throat he stepped into the house, listening to the sound of the glass breaking under his feet and the silence.

There was an eerie stillness that hovered over the house, only the whisper of the breeze passing through the sakura tree and it's branches made any noise.

Slowly he stopped in the living room, looking around at the plates that were shattered across the ground, shelves pushed over, the books and scrolls ripped to shreds by some sort of weapon.

He couldn't speak though he wished he could call out her name. It was as though his voice had completely vanished.

_Please… please… god, be all right… be all right…_

He started up the stairs, not really caring how loud he was. He knew that his brother was not there… nor were the rest of Akatsuki, but if they were he wasn't sure he would mind. There was something in his chest he needed to release and only the feel of his kunai cutting flesh would release it…

Feeling the shiver run down his spine he stopped to stare at the hall where all the bedrooms were lined, each door open and the contents of both his and Hinata's room spread out, clothing, books, frames… pieces of dry flowers that Hinata collected.

Their smell was lingering over the air, mixing with the sound of the wind chimes hanging from her window.

He stood there, unsure of what to do. Nothing was moving, but there was no blood… at least not yet. He couldn't smell it either, the metallic memory made his stomach clench uncomfortably and he thought for a second he was going to be sick.

A step sounded, soft, hardly audible but in his dazed state he felt as though he had entered the heightened sense of reality, the state in which he fought battles, and won them.

Slowly he stared at the door of one of the rooms, waiting. A shadow spread across the ground in the hall, crossing over his own. The person froze, unmoving just inside of the room.

His heart leapt to his throat and he thought he would choke.

"H…Hinata?"

The door creaked open slowly and Hinata stepped out, pale, her eyes so wide in her face that he could see the shock there clearly, her lips lined blue, but there was no blood and there were no tears on her face.

"S-s-sasuke…" she began, staring at him, looking lost. Her lips formed words but they wouldn't come out.

He wasn't paying attention anymore though. The reality that she was standing there, she was there and she wasn't hurt… he had not killed her. The utter desire to hold her welled up in him, making him shake.

Before he could move she was hugging him, holding on so hard that her fingers left bruises around his neck, but he didn't care, he didn't even notice.

"T-t-they came- Akatsuki- Itachi… I-I couldn't I mean I-I didn't know what to- I hid… they looked…. S-sasuke, I'm s-sorry…I-I was a-a-afraid-"

Thoughtlessly, he pulled her back slightly to look at her face, her wide eyes starting to brim with tears. "G-gomen.." she began. "I was afraid."

_I was terrified… horrified… I thought I was going to die… if I saw you… if he hurt you… _

The thoughts were rushing through his head too fast to be voiced he just stared at her a moment, watching her tears start to fall. The pain in his chest was threatening to kill him…

So he kissed her.

* * *

She remembered clearly one thing about Oka-san. She remembered her smile, and her soft voice. The wise old women of her clan had always said that even if separated at birth, a child will never forget the sound of their mother's voice.

And perhaps that was the reason why she could never forget all the things her mother said. Sometimes she thought it was every single one. Every conversation they had ever had. She could always look back; always remember each word, each childish intonation in her own voice and each soft sentence uttered by her mother's lips.

And at that moment she could only think of how she had asked what it felt like, to be kissed…

"_Oka-san…what's it like?"_

"_Nani, Hinata?"_

"_T-to be kissed…"_

_There was a moment's pause, the amused smile of someone who knew, someone who despite it all knew…_

"_It feels like…a snowflake on a sunburned nose…warm hands over freezing fingers… it feels like flying, like the world doesn't hold you in it's grasp anymore…it feels like love, little one."_

_Hinata stared, her eyes widening, imagining the feeling of flying, the comfort of her mother's hands over her sore, freezing fingers after playing in the snow…_

"…_Oka-san…I think I will like k-kisses." She admitted shyly, blushing. _

_There was that smile, small, amused, elegant, loving. _

"_Yes, probably."_

It felt like all those things… like holding a rose without any thorns to bite her, like tasting the very essence of a person, reaching a point where you knew them. You didn't just know about them, you knew them.

She knew him…

He tasted of honey, strawberries and honey, despite his dislike of them. That's what it was like, butterflies caressing as they took flight, the wind between the wind chime bells.

_Ne… I know you…_

She hadn't even realized when he had pushed her against the wall, holding her there and yet so gently there wasn't even a thought towards panic. A million years ago she had been afraid of his touch, afraid of his nearness, certain the results would be bad.

Slowly he pulled back, and they stood in silence, leaning their foreheads against one another, trembling, but no longer from fear.

"…you didn't come." His voice was the same deep tone, the same resonating authority, power, reminding her of the elegance of a panther, the rippling muscles of a hunter, but it was softer, his breath caressing her cheek as he spoke.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice shaking, and she felt his lips against her neck, sending sweet shivers down her back.

He didn't reply, he didn't know what to say. The truth was he had nothing to say, her being there was enough. She wasn't on the ground… bleeding, lifeless…

"They're here for me." He finally murmured, pulling back to look at her. Her cheeks were pink, but there was none of the uncertainty of before in her eyes as she stared back at him, nodding. "Hai."

"…please stay here."

Her eyes widened, staring at him in disbelieve. "What? N..no…"

"Please." He stated again, searching her face. "Stay here. They won't come back-"

"No." she shook her head, burying her face in his chest. "No, I have to come with you-please, let me come with you."

"I can't." he said suddenly, and there was a sudden weakness in his tone that made her look up at him, not caring that her eyes were filling with frustrated tears again.

"Why? Why can't I come with you? Please don't make me stay…"

He took her face in his hands suddenly, staring at her intently. "Promise me."

Hinata shook her head slightly, feeling her tears running down her cheeks. "No. No, I won't… I can't stay."

"Hinata." He breathed, searching her face desperately, the fear was there, she could see it in his eyes. Fear for her.

"Please."

Her body was shivering, defeated she looked down, closing her eyes tight, the tears leaving trails on her cheeks. Letting out a sigh of relief he took her chin, forcing her to look at him again, searching her face.

"I'll come back."

She didn't reply, but looked back at him, trembling slightly, all her own fears and worries clearly marked in her pale eyes.

Gently he kissed her again, letting go of her and already regretting it.

"Get to the stadium if you can, find the others, tell them what's happening." He murmured, taking a step back.

She looked back at him, hands hanging uselessly by her sides, unsure of what to do. "H-hai."

He nodded, letting out another uncertain breath before turning around and starting down the steps.

Hinata forced herself forward, stopping at the turn in the steps, watching as he glanced back once at her before running on ahead.

Her knees gave way beneath her and she hit the ground, staring at the open door and the light pouring in, the sound of a happy crowd on the street heading towards the stadium contrasting sharply with her utter reality.

_Get to the stadium… get to the stadium… get help for him…_

Taking a deep breath she forced herself up to her feet, holding on to the wall for support, frowning down at the steps and her shaking legs.

_I'm a shinobi of the Hyuuga Clan… I'm heiress of the Hyuuga Clan… Chuunin of Konoha Village Hidden in the Leaves. What am I doing here, trembling like a child?_

Swallowing forcefully she let go of the wall, licking her lips nervously as she steeled herself, feeling her heart and blood begin to pump at a regular rhythm.

Slowly she closed her eyes, standing loosely at the steps, concentrating on unleashing the adrenaline caged in her body.

_I can't be afraid… I won't. _

She opened her eyes again, feeling the adrenaline in her veins, pumping like liquid steel through her body. Fire igniting within her.

Letting out a breath the Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan jumped down the steps, taking off at a run the moment she stepped outside into the bright light of the day.

She hadn't promised him anything…

And… she had something she had to get from Itachi.

_He's right… nightmares don't have mothers.

* * *

_

Pacing back and forth across the balcony was all he could do and he was feeling more and more like the fox within him would shred through his body because of their combined impatience and frustration.

The crowds were thickening, any minute the first match would begin at the stadium and he would be chained to the command post…

Frowning irritably he stopped at the railing, looking out over the stadium with a frown, swallowing his nerves forcefully.

Suddenly the headphone around his ear gave a crackle. "Naruto!" Shikamaru's voice called suddenly through the device.

"What? What's going on?" Naruto asked, starting his pacing again.

"We found Ino." Shikamaru muttered, sounding more concentrated than usual. "She says Hinata never showed up…"

Naruto froze, staring at the blue sky and the city beyond the stadium walls.

"Shit!" he gasped, reaching up to his ninja headband, blue eyes wide with panic. "Have any of you seen Sasuke?" he snapped suddenly, opening up all channels.

There was a chorus of negatives.

"Do we look for them?" Tenten's voice called through, sounding worried.

Naruto frowned down at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly, damning the whole situation repeatedly in his head.

"No.." he began slowly, recalling the truth behind Sasuke's sharp reply earlier.

"Concentrate on finding Akatsuki." He began, and then froze staring at Hinata who was standing behind him, panting slightly her eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Naruto." She stated, her voice low. "Akatsuki-they went to Sasuke's house…" she began, catching her breath slowly. "He went after them."

There was something utterly different about her, the way she was standing, her fingers lingering near the kunai strapped to her thigh, her head turning to tune in to all the sounds around her, and her eyes, they were the same bland off-white shade of purple, but this time they were narrowed, they were eyes that knew things...

Naruto snapped out of it suddenly, reaching up to tap the mic. "Hinata is here, do you all hear me? Akatsuki was at Sasuke's house, he's gone after them-" he stopped, watching Hinata turn around, starting down the steps again.

"Hinata- wait!" he gasped, running after her. "Where are you going?"

"After them!" she snapped, jumping down the steps rapidly.

"What? Are you crazy?' Naruto snapped back, jumping down beside her and grabbing her arm to hold her back. "You're no match for Akatsuki!"

She didn't know what made her do it, whether the frustration or the panic, the sheer need to get away, the need to get his hands off of her…but she slapped him, not caring at all what it was.

Naruto stumbled back, holding a hand up to his cheek, staring at the girl in front of him, knowing he had no idea who she was.

"They're heading towards the forest." She stated, looking at him with impassive lavender eyes. "Send the team there."

Without another word she ran, one thing in mind and that was to get to Sasuke.

* * *

**Oh lordy, I'm evil evil evil. **

**I happen to detest cliffhangers with an utter passion, but there was just NO way I could keep going without shooting myself on the head… it HAD to be a cliffhanger. **

**Oh lordy lordy lordy. **

**((grins at you all innocently)) **

**Leave a message. **

**Hey, keep in mind, if I was REALLY evil I would say that I wont post the new chappie until we hit 300 reviews…**

**((shifty eyes)) …which, I'm still considering. ((evil grin))**

**Read! Review!x300**

**-inky**

**donthateme!**


	23. Chp 5: Running Out of Mistakes

**STUPID SITE. it still wont let me upload, but i realized that i had a document already uploaded with a garbage draft, so i just copy and pasted it into this. So, i dont actually know when the next chappie will be uploaded, seeing as FF might still be down when i'm done. then, were really screwed, cuz i've no more documents on here.**

**Please be gentle, this is a HUGE amount of work, and a lot of time i should have spent doing my math homework, lol, So i didn't edit very well, if at all. Once my story is finished i will edit properly, as well as add the bits and pieces in the storyline that may be missing. In this one I know for sure that the Neji/Hinata interactions are VERY strained, and in need of some serious work. No need to worry, I am aware. Please let me know of any other major detail I may be stupidly looking over. I appreciate the help. **

**READ. REVIEW.**

**-inky.

* * *

**

Running, running, running, running… It was a little strange, how each and every single one of his nightmares had had something to do with running away from something or someone. Sometimes it was Itachi, but that was rare… Itachi had had no intent to kill him when he was younger, and yet usually his nightmares were there, in the middle of the darkness of the old Uchiha compound.

But more often than not it was Orochimaru, coming after him for leaving his clan, for leaving him to find yet another body.

It was sickening really, to know that he had been in real danger of becoming that monster, of succumbing to it just for the sake of killing his brother.

He wasn't over it, hell he was never going to be over it, there were times when in the middle of the day, in the middle of a crowd, with the sun in his face and the sound of the birds twittering he felt his skin suddenly crawl with disgust…

The memories of the nights spent under the so called 'care' of his thoroughly screwed up sensei coming to mind.

Those were the nightmares… of running away, of tripping, falling flat on his face like he so often did and not a reason to get himself back up.

There was no reason, really, the idea of killing Itachi had long since faded in strength though, in some ways he still felt like that was the reason why he still breathed.

The hollow feeling only faded slightly when Naruto was around, giving him that goofy slightly caring grin that he had grown accustomed to, though he'd never admit it. There was something vaguely nerve wrecking about admitting that he cared about the dumb blonde, and the loud mouth med nin that were his main team… it was even worse to consider ever admitting that without them he would have been long gone, beyond any sort of help.

But that wasn't really why he was alive now… It almost made him want to rub his eyes in disbelief. What the hell would he have been doing if she hadn't come around… if Hinata hadn't more or less been dropped in his lap by some twisted, smirky, ironic fate?

The blank emptiness of not knowing was what answered that question and it was sickening to know… that he wasn't sure if he would have still be alive then, if she hadn't come around.

His main thought had been to find his brother, despite having rules that said he could not leave the village… not for a long time.

He would run, again… not to Orochimaru that time though, no he would run elsewhere, he would run to whatever place Itachi was using as a hide out. Though his older brother would never call it a hide out.

Itachi probably felt he had no reason to hide, there were few enough that would dare to come after him, and those that would he would meet head on and then run from if he had to. He didn't have as strong a sense of pride as Naruto or his younger and weaker brother.

But he would have run… he would have run the way he was running now, pushing his body to speed up, to go faster, each step that landed across the rooftops of the village so fast that he didn't have time to register each footfall.

Cherry blossom were all over, in the air, the sound of laughter, of chatter from the streets below continued, the sound of the stadium near the center of the village like a humming core, the heart of the town, where everything was.

Where _she _was.

His eyes had long turned red, the sharingan rotating slowly as he blinked, evaluating each jump without thinking, landing each one gracefully, pushing on, the muscles beneath his skin rippling with movement. To the few that caught sight of him running he was nothing but a shadow, a flicker of movement out of the corner of their eye.

He had to find him, had to destroy him, as fast as possible. It wasn't about his mother and father and family anymore, it had a lot to do with it, but no, it wasn't what was making his heart beat so quickly and the adrenaline ignite in his veins.

No, he knew now that Itachi had seen her room, smelled her scent, touched her clothing. He knew, that he would find her, figure out what she was to him, probably right under his nose he would take her and toy with her, cut her to little pieces and she would fight and struggle… but Itachi was a monster.

The thought of what would happen to her if he let him live was making him dizzy. He didn't realize at all that in a few steps, from one side of the village to the other he had become something other than an avenger…

Now, he was a guardian.

* * *

Sakura didn't understand exactly what had happened… what had happened that was weighing her down so heavily. There was an utter acute pain in her chest since the night before when she had seen the true and the most powerful version of Hinata that she had ever been unfortunate enough to encounter. 

There was something vaguely depressing about it… and it was only until that morning that she had come to terms with the sudden realization that as Hinata began to bloom, slowly but surely she was showing the traits that no one, not even her family had believed she had.

It was power, graceful, gentle, unwavering dangerous power. It was the kind of sensation that you felt when you saw a panther move, the rippling movement of liquid steel beneath their gleaming fur.

The Hyuuga's eyes had narrowed, her whole body had shifted it's stance, she had seemed taller, more graceful, her shoulder's straightened as she walked deliberately over to Ino, barging into her personal space as though it belonged to her. Ino's blue eyes had been captivated, shocked, startled, frightened by the deadly aura that seemed to be pouring out of the shy, pale kunoichi.

And with good reason. No one had lied before when they told Hinata that she was a skilled fighter, that she was a more than capable fighter. Now, with the power of confidence and aggression within her there was no telling what she might be able to do…

And that left her two best friends, once the two powerful kunoichi of the original Rookie Nine, in the dust.

It was a little unfair how the tables had been twisted, and the one that had seemed too shy to ever truly reach her potential had suddenly flourished, blooming into a flower much more impressive than the sakura blossoms and lilies that seemed to always represent herself and Ino.

The whole situation had weighed heavily on her mind the whole night as she lay in bed, staring up at the roof and pondering why Naruto seemed vaguely distracted, even as he flirted with her slightly, unaware of the barely visible blush that always tinged her cheeks when he did so.

Somehow, telling him seemed out of the question. She couldn't even figure out how she'd go about it. Somehow "Hey, Naruto-kun, you know, I'm suddenly in love with you…yeah, I know, even though I gave the impression I would never be…" seemed like horrible way to go about it.

And now, as his panicked voice came through her earpiece, wondering about Hinata, who she now understood had run off after Sasuke, she felt like she would burst into tears.

It wasn't fair… It just wasn't fair.

Ino ran beside her, their footfalls making a drumming rhythm on the ground as they sprinted, her worried frown clearly marked between her brows.

"What's he saying?" the blonde called, clearing her throat. The hangover wasn't too bad, she had endured worse conditions, but she was regretting it quite a bit. Facing Akatsuki half sober felt like committing suicide.

Sakura drew in a breath, controlling her emotions before replying.

"Hinata was there." She finally managed, without any wavering of her voice. "She's gone after Sasuke now too."

Ino grunted, her frown deepening slightly as she jumped onto a nearby rooftop, followed by the pink haired med nin.

"She was at the stadium?" she asked, glancing back.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, ridding herself of the irritated tears that were leaking out despite her proud refusal to show any sort of emotion. It was not the moment.

"Hai. But knowing how fast she can move now… She should be there before we are." That time she had been unable to catch the bitter envy that was weighing on her voice and Ino glanced back at her, startled out of her hangover thoughts.

But she didn't ask the questions weighing heavily on her mind. No… now was certainly not the time. They were both jealous, and perhaps rightfully so.

But it wasn't the time, no matter how they looked at it. It wasn't the time to even think about it.

They could all be facing death.

Yeah, somehow that seemed a little more important. But only slightly.

* * *

_"Neji-niisan?" her voice was quiet, almost whisper thin. That was what her cousin had said once. He'd said that her voice was whisper thin, like the underside of an owl's wing. Soft, tangible almost in it's gentleness. _

_There had been something in his voice when he said it that had made her start to color slightly. That's when she had realized that perhaps his desire to protect her had become more than just sheer duty. No, there was something else, it was like he had laid claim to her. He was her unofficial older brother and somehow it was his right to know her business, to judge her and her actions as he saw fit. _

_Somehow, she had hardened against that, known from the start that without meaning to she would fight it. Enough of the Hyuuga clan already thought it was their right to command her, she didn't need him doing it too. _

_"What is it, Hinata-hime?" he enquired, a bit impatiently, as he was reading something, the Hyuuga library lit brightly by the sunlight pouring in from one of the windows. Unlike most libraries, this one was pristine. Each and every book had been dusted, placed in it's proper place, labeled, the tables were clear, each chair in it's right place, the rug aired every few days. _

_It didn't feel like a library. Somehow Hinata always felt that libraries would hold more treasures if they weren't disturbed as often as the Hyuuga's was. _

_"Ano… I…I was thinking.." she began, shifting her weight in front of him, wondering how she would come around and say it out loud, to her stoic powerful cousin without sounding too much like a miniature child that knew nothing. _

_His eyes finally lifted from the book, though he didn't move his head. It was an impatient move again. _

_"Nani?" _

_"Oh- ano, I was thinking… that…I-I was wondering…" she frowned at her fingers as she bumped them together in front of herself nervously, fiddling stupidly with her cuffs. _

_"…d-do you think…i-if S-shino-kun and Kiba-kun help me train… that I-I will be strong enough-" _

_"You'll never be strong to do anything with an attitude like that." The words were out before he could catch them, and after he had said them there was no way he was taking them back. For one thing they were the truth… harshly said, but the truth. _

_Hinata's cheeks flamed as she stared at the ground. _

_Guilt tripped all over Neji's face for a moment, and he sighed, lowering his eyes back to the page. "...You need not stutter..." It pained him to know she was so nervous, even around him. She had no reason to be, her beauty, her wit, her smile, her gentle heart... they all deserved more praise than anyone gave her. Still, his lips didn't part to say any of that._

_"Gomen." She murmured softly, knowing she had disturbed him with the stupid question. Of course she wouldn't be strong enough, no matter how hard she trained. She was useless, her body always overtaken by utter terror when a new threat came around. As a shinobi she was supposed to be able to destroy the terror with the swift knife that was duty, to her village, to her clan, to herself. _

_But she never could. That duty seemed so frail… _

_She had left, beating herself up mentally, using every word that had ever hindered her before to tear herself to shreds, watching the bits of her like paper scattered in the wind, marring the sight of sakura blossoms dancing in the wind against the bright blue sky. _

_Strong? She didn't know if the thing existed, not within her… _

_Never within her. _

That wasn't the case.

She had never felt this before. It was a new sensation, the way a child brings something to their lips to feel it, to sense it, and get to know it carefully, accurately memorizing the feeling.

Lips felt so much more than any part of the body, which was why a child was always kissing things, bringing them to their mouths to sample, like literally tasting life.

She could almost do that with the feeling. The taste in her mouth was metallic, as if she had gone and bit down on her own tongue without even realizing it. Each step she took was faster than the last, her breathing coming in a slow controlled rhythm.

Her Byakugan was reaching on ahead, far ahead, watching the points of the others rushing towards the forest, a little ahead of her, but the distance was becoming less with each step.

Adrenaline was pumping through her so fast she didn't think she would be able to feel a blow if it came, and there was something else swimming in her veins.

Fury, an anger she hadn't known she could even feel, it was there, clawing at her insides, making her fists clench as she ran, blood dripping as her nails dug painfully into her palms.

How dare Itachi come… how dare he think himself so much more than his brother, than this village?

Did he think there was no one that could stand up to him? He was so powerful, was he?

Well he hadn't met her, he hadn't known about her. She knew it would hurt, that he would probably batter her to bits, but just to see the shock in his hateful face, which she had never laid eyes on before, just to see the surprise that a kunoichi, a pale soft looking kunoichi could damage him, if only a little…

She would take a beating for that, she would take it and smile, and with it she would snatch the necklace. Sasuke's necklace.

And Sasuke would be okay, everything would be okay.

She would 'make' it be okay.

The forest was coming fast, her lungs were burning even though she was breathing correctly, but there was nothing to be done about that. It was her own fault for not training harder.

She made a silent promise to herself then that when this was over, she would train, she would train so consistently, so deliberately that no one would be able to ever think her weak again, not even her own mocking mind.

Never again did she want to feel the terror that had torn through her the moment Akatsuki was in her home, in Sasuke's home, she wouldn't hide, she wouldn't wait for the threat to pass, pray that someone else would come.

No more.

_Find him, find Sasuke… _

She would prove to him that she was strong enough to be by his side, even in battle…

And that was the only part that was scorching painfully in her mind. He had not trusted her to be strong enough, and she didn't blame him. She had not proved herself, not to him.

She would, she would do it.

"Hinata!"

The cry drew her out of her thoughts and she turned to see Ino and Sakura, panting heavily, standing just outside of the forest boundary.

The giant trees cast a long shadow over the grassy field in which they stood, catching their breath from the run.

Hinata stopped running, breathing in slowly, deliberately, not panting the way they were at all.

"Where are the others?" she heard her own voice and didn't recognize it, it was lower, thin like a string of chakra thin enough to slice through flesh.

Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end at the tone, staring with bright green eyes at the new Hinata. Her cheeks were flushed from the run, but she was standing straight, her hands lingering near the kunai pouch strapped to her waist, her chest rising and falling in a steady calming rhythm as she caught her breath, with a lot more grace than herself or Ino.

"…inside." She murmured, glancing over at the darkness that made up the forest. "They found Sasuke and Akatsuki's trail a few minutes ago, this is where all three entered."

Ino was looking at Hinata with hesitance, unsure if she could meet the Hyuuga's eyes. But Hinata was paying both of them little attention, her lavender eyes instead focused accurately on the shadows, her byakugan marking itself around her eyes rapidly as she pushed chakra forth to reach into the darkness.

She could see several of the glowing green specs that were the Rookie Nine… and then ahead of them three others.

They were perhaps ten minutes hard run away…

"There are going to be traps." She murmured, turning to look over at the two girls. "And we don't know the number of enemies."

Sakura straightened finally, letting out a last exasperated breath. "Hai."

"I know there are two, so far, but there may be more." She frowned then. "I'll watch for traps." She murmured, starting into the forest. "Try to keep up and watch for attacks from behind."

Ino and Sakura started, surprised by the order, but otherwise in agreement…She had the byakugan, they could not complain.

Silently the trio of kunoichi faced the darkness for a moment, staring at the shadows, impatience gnawing irritably at Hinata's chest.

"Let's go." Ino huffed, and together they shot into the darkness, flickers of movement as they ran right into something they didn't quite understand.

* * *

His footsteps were there, but they were so obvious it was making him nervous. Nothing about Itachi was ever obvious unless he wanted it to be, unless he was hiding something else he didn't want to make too obvious. 

No, it wasn't that. Sasuke knew what it was. He was leading him on. He knew he was coming and was waiting, so he slowed down as he ran until he came to a stop, staring at the trail in the forest that most people wouldn't have been able to see, but his sharp Sharingan picked up without much difficulty.

Itachi was planning something…

Nervous day dreams of what might be ahead swam through his mind. He imagined his bother, leaning languidly against one of the trees, waiting patiently for him to finally enter the clearing he had chosen for the meeting, carelessly, absently, like everything else he did.

He would look up, his eyes bored, lazy, like everything else about his state of mind, careless. He didn't care, he didn't care much about anything.

And he would then do what…?

Kill him on the spot? No… probably not. What did he want? Why was he there, bugging the shit out of him by appearing, by bringing back memories and hate that he had tried to ignore and almost managed to forget completely at the arrival of Hinata…

It was almost hilarious to think that the reason he got close to her in the first place had been to gain the power of the Byakugan, to understand what it was and perhaps use it against his own brother. But now that wasn't the case, the very thing he had tried to capture had ensnared him instead and he had forgotten the reason why she was there, he was just so glad she was.

There had to be something he wanted. But… he had never really known Itachi to personally 'want' something. He had always been so bored with himself, with life.

Why would he be back? Just to mock him? Maybe that was the truth, maybe he was just so damn bored that his little brother had stopped searching for him that he had come back to nag him to try again.

_Come on, little brother, come on, amuse me a little._

Sasuke cursed him mentally then, his whole body vibrating with the aggravation, the utter unbelievable hate, the taste in his mouth was metallic and he knew he had hit that heightened level, that moment where he was beyond control, where his body would react to movement without even thinking about it, he would attack, he would destroy, every single training routine would be flashing through his mind's eye at a million images per second, and his mind would choose the perfect one for whatever situation arose without his consent.

He wasn't afraid, so then why was he hesitating…

Clenching his jaw and his hands, and almost every single muscle in his body he tensed, staring off into the darkness ahead where he knew his brother hid.

Silently he took off to the right.

He'd come at him, but not from the way he expected, he wouldn't trail him, the way he had for so many years, in every single way.

No, not anymore, he would come at him, but not from behind.

_You know what, Itachi… I'm not so little anymore.

* * *

_

It had not been her idea to loose them, though a part in her mind that she hadn't realized was there sneered at the thought.

Somewhere inside she had planned it out. She had planned to loose them, to go on ahead. They would hinder her movement, they would hold her back, she needed to move quickly, speed on ahead.

She could see the others and how they had spread themselves out in three man cells where they could, she could see each and every chakra spot in the darkness of the trees.

But she could see Sasuke also, moving on ahead, to the right though, at an angle. He was going to try to cut them off. Itachi and his team mate were moving just slow enough for that.

And Hinata was moving fast enough to catch up.

The adrenaline had not stopped pumping, it was as though years of having it lie dormant had suddenly been unleashed and every experience where it had not reacted and come flowing was meshing together to set her loose, her body was like a new thing to her, reacting to every thought and whim.

She didn't know the forest, but with her Byakugan she could spot hidden potholes and rising roots easily, moving around them without slowing even slightly, her pace increasing instead as her impatience grew. She was angry, she wanted to destroy something, she wanted to rip something to shreds.

It was almost irrational, but she didn't bother to examine it. It felt good, so she left it, probing it with tidbits of reasons to be angry, how Itachi had been so bored as he spoke at Sasuke's house… so calm, so languidly irritating.

She saw Akatsuki stop running, waiting, it seemed for what would inevitably come- and that was when she noticed it, with something like a sharp snapping feeling of panic.

There wasn't just two spots of chakra up ahead anymore. There were five.

Assuming Sasuke was the fifth, moving in from the right… then the other two were…

_Oh God. _

He would never be able to stand up to four members of Akatsuki… never, no one could, it was like trying to fight off more than one Hokage.

A simple, irrational suicide attempt, that was what it was, only he didn't know it. Sasuke didn't know it.

And her speed increased, she pushed harder, feeling her body hit the second storage of energy she had never even tried to access.

She would use up every single bit she had, but she would get there in time. She would get there…

* * *

"Stop!" Neji's voice was so startled that Tenten and Lee literally balked, their muscles screaming in protest from the sudden brake. Flinching Tenten spun around to face her team mate, rubbing her thighs were the worst pain was spreading. 

"What is it? Neji-kun? What is it?"

"Chakra…" he began, staring off ahead of her, far ahead she knew.

"There are more."

She and Lee froze, staring at him in surprise. "More?" she whispered, agonizing fear twisting itself around her throat.

"How many more?"

"Two. I can see the Uchiha's chakra. He's heading directly at them."

Lee's eyes widened. "Uchiha-san cannot-"

"We have to hurry!" Tenten gasped, turning to start sprinting again. Neji reached up to his ear, tapping the mic there with one hand.

"Naruto." He stated thinly, hearing the blonde reply quickly, his voice serious and steady.

"There's more than one team. Sasuke is heading directly at them." He muttered, listening to the tense silence on the other end.

The others were listening as well, Sakura's voice was the first to break through. "More!? How many more?!"

"Two teams of two." Neji replied.

Shikamaru's voice let out a curse of frustration. His calculations for a battle plan were obviously being screwed over by the doubled number and massive variables of possible powers.

"I'm already on my way, I'm in the forest." Naruto stated suddenly, making Neji almost stop, but he managed not to, Tenten and Lee were watching carefully, frowning with worry.

"What about the stadium and the examination?" Neji snapped suddenly, frustrated with the idiocy of the two captains, coming out on a wild goose chase.

Naruto let out a scoff that was disturbingly like Sasuke.

"I'm captain here." Was the irritable reply. "Have any of you seen Hinata?'

There was silence for a moment, then Sakura's voice came through, slow and deliberate.

"She was with us, but she's gone on ahead… she was moving too fast for either of us to keep up."

Neji felt his stomach drop as he scanned the forest again with his Byakugan, searching for that solo flicker of chakra.

And he found it, disturbingly close to the four massive powers ahead. The fifth, which he figured was Sasuke was further off than she was, because he had taken a detour, moving to cut them off ahead, unaware of them stopping when they met their comrades.

"Shit!" his voice suddenly broke through the mic, making everyone jump.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto cried finally, loosing all patience. Tenten and Lee were staring around, nervously watching for any attackers.

"Hinata- she's heading directly towards them… alone." His voice was shaking with frustration, with fear and anger at himself, at Sasuke, at everything.

"Everyone, move." Naruto stated suddenly through the mic, so cold and hard that they could hear each single vibration of anger and panic in his voice at once. "Move, and get there to back her up, goddamnit… Where the hell is Sasuke?"

"Cutting them of from the front- but she'll reach them before he does-" Neji froze, watching the figure that was his little cousin, small, fragile little cousin suddenly stop as she faced the four figures.

_She can see them! She knew! She knew! Hinata why didn't you fucking STOP. Goddamnit all…Fuck… _

"She's reached them!" His voice was panicked that time, none of the Hyuuga calmness. This was panic, pure pathetic panic.

His little cousin was going to die.

* * *

She wasn't panting, she was breathing, that's what she told herself, but when she finally came to stop, when she could see their chakra so clearly that it no longer marred their faces and their bodies she knew she wasn't just breathing, she was almost coughing. 

She had never run like that in her life, and it had cost her dearly, her entire body was on hyper drive, it wanted to continue moving, wanted to rush at them, without breaking a beat, wanted to fling her whole vibrating energy at them in one solid burst.

But she knew better, she knew things were never that easy, and slowly her mind slowed along with her heart beat as she approached the clearing.

There was something like satisfaction when she entered the small area clear of trees and stared back at the four cloaked figures, because she saw some of their eyes widen just slightly in surprise.

"…Who the hell is this?" the voice was familiar, that almost tangible roughness. That was Kisame, tall and blue and deadly looking, like a shark.

He held his sword on his shoulder, smirking slightly at her as she caught her breath, looking at each of them darkly. There was no time to feel fear, no time to consider running the way she had come.

Her eyes were focused mainly on the goal she had been chasing the moment she ran from the house.

Itachi.

He wasn't as tall as she had imagined… she figured, Sasuke might grow taller than him, possibly. His eyes were different too, he looked…dead.

Pale, sickly almost, he was so pale, with dark black pebble eyes that stared back at her impassively. There was no one home.

This was the man who had stated that he had no mother… Monster's didn't have mothers.

She couldn't agree more, at that moment, the desire to tear him to shreds was amazing, overwhelming in her chest.

The other two figures in black cloaks shifted, their hats blocked their eyes from view but she could hear the noise of their chuckling, amused.

"Your little brother was beaten by a small looking bitch, Itachi." Kisame smirked. "He's not very fast, now is he?"

Itachi's eyes didn't leave her, they were glued there, though there was no emotion behind it.

"Hn." He replied, and the sound was so ridiculously familiar and sickening coming from him that she wanted to rush forward and rip his throat out, never let him make that sound again. It wasn't his, it was never his it was Sasuke's.

The silence continued for a moment, and she realized her chest wasn't burning anymore, she could breathe normally again.

Swallowing smoothly she lowered herself down to the stance of the Hyuuga, washing away any emotion. There was no use talking. These people, if they could be called that, did not know who she was, and probably had never even known she existed.

"Oh, she wants to fight." Kisame laughed, stepping forward thoughtfully. None of the others made a move to stop him.

"Can I play with her, a little?" he asked, no one in particular, just wondering if it was a good idea or not, whether they thought she was worth it.

"She can hardly be worth the time." One of the silent ones behind Itachi muttered very softly, the sound of his voice crawling over her skin. "Just kill her."

Her mouth opened slightly, and she thought she would scream, or perhaps beg for them not to, but there was something inside her that had been unleashed. Perhaps it was that feline within her that she had refused to let loose, that had fought against a strong chain of self conduct and fear.

Maybe it had never been a cat in the first place…maybe it had been her.

The words that came out were in a voice she hardly recognized as her own, and from a mind that had no fear.

"…you make it sound, like it will be so easy." Her lavender eyes looked blandly back at them, no frown, no tension, no worry. She could not be read.

Itachi's lips quivered, it was almost amusement.

Kisame let out a laugh. "…I'll show you, just how easy it will be."

Without warning he shot forward.

* * *

The darkness was coming, it was an odd feeling, like being in the shadows of passing strangers while sitting facing the sun. He did that often when he was younger, watching the shadows pass by him, each one unaffecting him. 

There was a time when he used to muse what would happen if any of those shadows ever decided to take interest in the lonely little child sitting nearby, staring down at the ground, onyx eyes fixed upon the moving lights and darkness that seemed to be dancing to a rhythm he could not understand.

He watched the same pattern pass by in front of him as he waited, staring down at the moss and the leafs that covered the forest ground, fixated the same way he had been fixated as a child, but this time he felt more ill than before. This illness however had little to do with being nervous, with being afraid…

Somehow that feeling had been drowned out, perhaps because of the many times before that he had felt that sensation. It would be shoved forcefully to the back of his mind, chained there and often he would struggle with it the way a master fights the dogs tugging against their leashes.

But it would always succumb, always. His hatred, his anger and his determination were enough to beat it into submission, driving the little inkling of fear, of terror even, to the back of his mind where it hid, cowering and watching the danger stream forth.

He hardly ever had time to think it through because things that frightened him or had the ability to frighten him more often than not happened before he had time to decide to be afraid or not.

It wasn't really a choice then, perhaps.

But now, as he waited, silently staring at the shadows and the flickering dance that the sun was showering on the ground, he had time to think, and he wasn't really fighting it back anyway. His fear had dissolved into nothingness, as if he didn't believe it himself that soon Itachi would suddenly appear, cold, impassive, careless.

His hands clenched, and he tuned his ears to listen to the steps, but he could only hear the muddied sounds that could be anything… anyone. Maybe they were even random children, training rather than going to watch the Chuunin examination. He remembered doing that as a child, running through the forest when the examination was going on and everyone else was there, watching the fighting like a pack of blood thirsty savages ready to see the 'entertainment' of the day. Two slightly older children beating the living shit out of each other.

His hands clenched harder and he felt the press of his anger in it, his thoughts only lightening slightly at the thought of Hinata, looking at him curiously the first day they had met. He had thought her dull then, thought that her expression was that of any other girl… somehow this one just wasn't infatuated with him.

It was a little strange, now he could see the thought process behind that expression. She hadn't known what to make of him. She had chosen not to make a choice just then, to watch and make up her mind later.

She was so much less judgmental than him.

_Ying… Yang… _

He frowned down at the ground, disturbed by her ability to distract him, even here as he waited patiently for his brother to come.

_I might die… _

His hands loosened, the anger feeling much like it was draining out of him.

_I might never see her again. _

The expression on her face as he left, the look of hurt, confusion… She had stayed, at his begging. It was his fault if he died… if he died and never got to apologize for…

_…being too weak to let her come. _

He looked up, in the general direction which he knew his brother would take to advance on him, focusing as he heard the first sounds of footfalls.

Gentle, soft, hardly there.

Yes…forth came the ever pressing nightmare, the monster in his dreams.

The fear began to tug against it's leash, and Sasuke leaned against the nearest tree, his arms crossed, staring into the darkness that would spit out his brother. Even darkness did not want him, even darkness spat him out in disgust, he was so filthy.

He would take him… if only for a moment, and feed him forcefully to the one thing that would accept him without question, the one thing that judged everyone the same.

Death.

_For mother… for father…for the Uchiha Clan, who did not deserve to fall to your whims. _

He closed his eyes, listening intently, frowning as he strained against the sound of the wind brushing past the trees and the whisper of little animals scurrying away from him.

Beyond it, beyond the layers of sound that his mind picked apart carefully he heard it.

Metal against metal, a hardly audible sound of pain.

They were so far away...

He was running before he could even register the information, before he could really make a choice, heading back, directly towards the battle, or whatever it was that was happening.

He couldn't wait for his brother. He would have to rush after him after all.

* * *

Hinata stared forth, she could see every tendon in his body moving, every chakra point bursting with power, the anger and amusement in his eyes as he shot forward, the way the long strips of cloth started to rip away from his blade as he swung it behind him, reveal it's razor-like quality, the artful brutality of it's making.

He was fast.

Her body reacted, snapping backwards, throwing her whole body weight to the side and back, her hands flying up, throwing herself into a series of flips. Her Byakugan fully activated kept her from becoming dizzy, but there wasn't enough time to even wonder how she had managed to dodge the nearly fatal blow.

Breathless she felt her body reacting, her brain firing off the need to move, to attack, counter, defend- anything!

With a hardly audible gasp she felt herself side step. He was fast, but she was faster, the movement was fluid, completely unintentional but logical all the same, and it felt like she wasn't fighting Kisame, one of the legendary S-rank criminals…

No she wasn't fighting someone who's name was listed in the Bingo Book.

No, certainly not… He was launching forward again, after her, each step was graceful, she could tell, and full of power, beneath all that cloth of black and red clouds there was power.

And that giant bandaged blade that he was swinging so eagerly...

Fear, crawling and deadly and suffocating began to slither up her throat, but she ignored it and watched as he passed by, digging his foot into the ground, coming to an abrupt halt, swinging around to throw a solid fist into her face. Her hands were up, metal arm guards taking the brutal impact, sending shivers of numbness up to her shoulders, but it was a like a wake up call, the sound of a bell tolling in her head. The sound of Sasuke's voice stating the soft yet powerful command that had begun to make her body react on command…

_Hinata. Go._

The power was in her hands the moment the sound faded in her own head and she was rushing forward against the blow, making Kisame… Kisame the S-ranked criminal take a sharp breath, flinging himself backwards as a kunai sliced the air where he had been, ripping it to shreds.

She was noiseless, he wasn't. Each swing was emphasized by a giant grunt or brute groan of irritation as she stepped to the side, feeling the blade as it passed by, her eyes narrowed in concentration, watching his movement.

Hinata's hands didn't shake, they didn't fumble, she shot forward again and again, each twisting attack met by a counter, or a dodge, but that didn't matter, her heart was in her ears, she wasn't listening to his taunts and his jeering and his amused smirk as he moved, trying to stay as far off from her attacks as possible while throwing long swings of his own sword, watching with satisfied surprise as she dodged each and every one.

"Still… you're nothing but a game." He taunted, the single sentence managing to get through.

His sword swung, a giant metallic death coming towards her. Most would have dodged.

A cry of frustration escaped her lips, the sound of a panther's anger. The sword hit against her armguards, hard, the impact making her knees buckle beneath her, but she dug into the ground, tearing up it's moss as he pushed harder, a little impressed by the amount of force that she could tolerate.

The moss was being eaten up by her heels as she shoved them into the deep green, sliding as his swing finally slowed.

They both stopped moving, and Itachi, watching from the sidelines felt his lips twitch in a half smile of amusement.

_Where did this little one crawl from?_

Hinata was panting, despite breathing as she had been taught, she was panting heavily, her whole body moving up and down with each intake.

She couldn't feel her arms at all. Something had probably been broken… or perhaps there was just so much damned _pain _that her mind couldn't grasp the sensation, wouldn't allow her to acknowledge it.

A single drop sounded, the way it echoes in a silent cave. _Drip._

Her eyes opened slowly to look down at the moss, the two stripes of mud where her heels had dug into the moss and a single red splatter amongst its forest of swirling green.

Kisame began to chuckle, the sound sliding through the air, wrapping it's hand around her throat and beginning to strangle the air from her.

"Ah, but she _does _bleed…"

"Just get it over with and kill her." One of the mysterious Akatsuki grunted.

But Hinata didn't hear, she stared down at the single drop, listening and feeling as another slid across her arm, down the spikes of Kisame's blade digging into her forearms and then dropped down, splashing on the moss again.

Her body began to tremble.

_…It hurts…_She realized, feeling the first wave of pain. The spikes from the sword were wedged into her forearms, past the arm guards bandages and chakra, wedged between flesh, making her blood spill.

Heat began to engulf her hands then, rushing down her wrists and forearms to her elbows, freezing her up, making her loose control.

Kisame let out another laugh as he watched her body shake forcefully, and then without warning he yanked his sword back, waving it over his head like a lasso, listening with contempt at the sound of Hinata's wretched cry. It shattered the stillness, ripping through the trees, making birds and rabbits rush away in fear, shocked by the sound.

Her legs buckled and she hit the ground, staring down at her arms, there were a dozen or so relatively small bleeding wounds, but it wasn't the length of them that worried her, it was the depth, though she couldn't be sure how bad the damage was.

She wasn't thinking logically anymore, the anger was there, bubbling under the surface, the little feline that symbolized her obvious rage pacing back and forth, not chained, just stunned.

Slowly she took a deep breath, watching the giant bloody sword swinging over Kisame's head. He smirked broadly, razor sharp teeth glinting in the shadowy dance of the light filtering through the canopy of trees.

"She was fun… short, but fun." He admitted. "Oh well."

Eyes widening sharply she felt the feline growl again, adrenaline shooting through her body like wildfire, dulling the pain in her arms in three seconds, gasping she began to shove herself to her feet, the sound of the sword cutting the air towards her making her flinch.

Before she could move she felt the solid impact of something against her, throwing her off balance to the ground.

Whoever it was rolled along with her until they came to a sudden stop and she stared up at Neji, sweat soaked and panting, searching her face rapidly as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Hinata!" he gasped, moving to grab her arm, but freezing at the sight of blood.

Tenten and Lee stood in front of them, facing Akatsuki with narrowed eyes. "Is she all right?" Tenten shouted back, without turning.

Kisame smirked, resting his sword against his shoulder thoughtfully, looking at them the way a predator acknowledges worms.

"I don't know- she's bleeding." Neji began, moving to crouch by the disowned Hyuuga. Hinata ignored him, shoving herself to her feet slowly, feeling sloppy, but she was still alive and the pain was already fading.

Ignoring Neji's protests she moved her fingers, watching as they responded deftly to her orders.

No nerves were severed. Thank God.

"I'm fine." She snapped, cutting off Neji's rant, which she had not been listening to. She had never heard him speak that much.

The boy looked back at her, frowning worriedly. Without another word the Hyuuga heiress began to unwrap the bandages, preparing to tighten them to stop the bleeding. Holding a kunai with bloody slippery hands was not on her to-do list.

"We'll hold them off- get back to the stadium-" Her cousin began, watching her movements nervously, he would never admit it but the panic was getting the better of him, making him want to go wretch into the bushes somewhere.

"No." Hinata whispered back, looking up to see Itachi murmuring something to the other Akatsuki.

"Listen to me." Neji snapped, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to turn to look at his face. "I'm your elder- assigned as your guardian and I'm 'ordering' you to go back." His eyes were cold, but desperate, trying to veil the panic there with something.

Hinata looked back at him, her lips pressed into a thin line, thinking only of how Sasuke was out there, and would arrive at any moment.

"Let _go_ of me." She whispered softly, ripping herself out of his grasp. "_Sasuke_ is out there."

The Hyuuga's eyes widened, watching her expression soften for half a second as she said his name, as though it were something sweet on her tongue that her mind wanted to dote over.

Something washed over him, cold realization, perhaps… or fear, he didn't know.

The interruption arrived as Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru dropped into the scene, making Kisame start laughing.

"This is going to be fun."

Tenten bit her lip, glaring death at the deadly monster. "Scum.."

"Hinata!" Kiba gasped, and though he wanted to run over to her he didn't, he stood in a line along with the others, between Akatsuki and her.

"I'm fine." She replied, hardly audible but it was enough to keep him in place.

It was only a few moments later that Ino, Sakura and Naruto flickered into the scene, exactly as Itachi vanished.

Hinata's eyes widened, panic making her rip out of Neji's grip. "He left- we have to go after him!" she spun around to face her cousin and realized he was looking at her with a different expression… it was calculating.

"We can't." he snapped back, fighting the urge to slap her, get her to wake up.

Itachi was beyond Kisame… and it would take all of them to stop him. Itachi on the other hand would kill them all…

Breathless the Hyuuga heiress stared at him, her voice hitting a point of obvious panic.

"Demo- Sasuke-"

"He's on his own!" Neji snapped, trying to grab her again as she stepped away from him, shaking her head.

"Hinata!" Sakura shrieked as the Hyuuga flickered out of sight, spinning around to run into the darkness.

Kisame watched the movement with amusement, eyeing the panic in the rest of them. "Sometimes, you have to respect the death wish of others." One of the Akatsuki murmured slowly, walking towards the long line of shinobi before anyone of them had any ideas about leaving.

Naruto faced him decidedly, boiling with rage.

"She'll come back." He hissed, ignoring the sound of Tenten holding on to Neji before he ran off too.

"In pieces." The Akatsuki member smiled in a bored tone.

"Much like you all…"

Sakura and Ino flanked Naruto steadily, shaking with frustration and energy.

"She'll come back." Sakura stated sharply. "She will. Sasuke too."

None of them actually believed it, but it felt good to say.

_She'll come back…_

_

* * *

_

Blood and sweat and grime covered her from head to toe, she didn't realize when she had been hit, the blade had not impacted with her body but it had snatched at her clothing, ripping it in places she didn't even know it had touched.

The dirt was on her knees and her arms and hands, but that was the least of her worries. Her thoughts were racing, a pile of endless commotion in her head, watching the disbelief in everyone's face as she spun around, as she ran.

But it didn't feel like she had run from them, it felt like they had left her, like they had stared at her and forced her to make a choice that didn't feel like a choice at all.

_Us, or him._

They shouldn't have even asked. They shouldn't have forced her… it wasn't fair.. He had never forced her to make any such choices. He had always expected her to be with others, he had never hindered her, ever.

How dare they abandon him like he was a lost cause?

_Please be okay… please be okay…_

Her run was quick, like before, pushing it as the adrenaline began to pump again, no longer slowed, though it had felt at that moment of impact with the sword against her arms that it had come to a sudden screeching stop that toppled her over into the brink of her old weakness.

Things had flashed by, her eyes hadn't been able to keep up.

But not now, not again, not alone, heading towards Sasuke… towards Itachi…

_Nightmares don't have mothers. _

He was going to give her that necklace.

The roots were reaching for her, fingers ready to make her trip, hit the ground hard, roll, feel the air being pushed right out of her lungs, destroying her sense of calm. But she didn't trip, she skipped over each danger, her byakugan unraveling it before it could snatch her and throw her down.

It was the point just ahead…. The one that had stopped moving that she wanted. Itachi knew he had being followed.

He was waiting.

_How dare you… how dare you come here?_

Breathless she came to stop, just outside of the clearing ahead. The green neon of her sight showed her just where he was standing, arms hanging calmly by his sides, looking at her.

Hinata stared into the darkness, pumping chakra into her eyes, focusing on his face, the texture of his skin, the cold careless expression on his lips and eyes.

It was a shell, it looked like a shell, he felt nothing. It was an older version of Sasuke himself without a single emotion or thought. Even Sasuke's scars, the emotional whispers of pains that escaped his expression from time to time were more beautiful than the dead lifeless gaze that she looked into past the trees.

Swallowing softly she moved forward, back into the clearing, back into his line of sight. She could see other chakra points, flickering and subdued, she could even see what she supposed was Sasuke, racing towards them.

She had to be quick... in and out, before he got there...

Byakugan met Sharingan, and he smirked, the slightest sign of living.

"Ah." He stated softly, as if something had been revealed to him. "It is you again."

He was bored; already he was bored with her.

Hinata stared back at him, breathing in and out slowly, controlling her frustrated emotion. She didn't know what it was anymore, the mix of terror at the sight of the nightmarish expression and cold hatred at the idea that this _being _had shattered Sasuke's childhood and now dangled it before him as if to tease him into doing tricks.

"Do I have to kill you?" Itachi enquired slowly, the same monotone of voice, same dead eyes, though now they glittered blood red and the sharingan rotated within them.

Hinata wanted to say something. Anything. But she didn't, she looked back at him, jaw tight, hands shaking as she clenched them by her sides.

Slowly he stepped down to her level and began to walk forward. Her eyes flickered around quickly for traps, taking in the tree of gigantic proportions behind her and it's sweeping trunk and roots.

But there was nothing to suggest any danger. Except for the deadly living _thing _in front of her.

"You want something." He put in slowly, red eyes scanning her body. He didn't find her particularly appealing… there was something a little bland about her face, but that could easily be ignored. Her eyes spoke of emotion, sensation and anger.

He thought perhaps he saw hatred there, though it was hard to see amongst the lavender tinge.

"I want the necklace." She whispered suddenly, her voice so low and so paper thing it could cut through the stillness before it had even settled.

Itachi's eyes suddenly flickered with interest, the expression was so different and smooth, subtle in it's take over of his face that she hardly noticed it.

"The necklace." He smirked just slightly, hardly visible. His hand came up and her body shifted sharply into battle stance, her hands clenching her kunai.

But he smiled again and touched his neck where a string of leather could be seen against the dark black of the cloak. "Okaa-san's necklace?"

She didn't reply again, lips pressed into a thin line, waiting for his move.

"It's not yours." He replied, irritated by her lack of words. Most of his opponents chattered needlessly about their hate for him, their hate for life, their desire to see blood. She stared, watching and waiting.

It was infuriating.

"Give it to me." She whispered softly again.

He smiled. "I don't think so… after all, we have a visitor." He turned, giving her his back carelessly, showing her just how miserably miniature she was against him and his power. "…the owner of the necklace has finally arrived." He sounded finally interested in the situation as he looked into the darkness.

Hinata looked past him and saw the chakra point she had ignored, her attention focused completely on him, the monster in her midst.

With a flicker of movement the powerful form of the genius shinobi appeared on a tree branch above the clearing, crouched, staring with wide sharingan eyes past Itachi at the girl behind him, already bleeding, her mouth already pressing into that thin line that knew pain, her eyes narrowed into defensiveness.

He had seen that look on himself.

She was finding out just how evil life could be.

_No! No…I told you not to come…_

His voice would have shaken if he hadn't known to keep their connection hidden, if hadn't made an effort.

_I can't care. I can't care or he'll-_

"Little brother." Itachi murmured softly. "I was beginning to think this little one was the only one worthy or my limited attention." He smirked up at him, amused by the whole situation.

_Run Hinata, run…_

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke hissed, eyes focused on him, crouching slowly.

_Don't look at her… don't see her… she's not there…Oh God… run, please run…_

"Curious." Itachi murmured, ignoring his question, turning to look over his shoulder at Hinata, standing immobile behind him, staring at Sasuke with wide eyed disbelief.

_What have I done? Hindered him with me here... made it more difficult... oh God, i've put him in danger..._

"Are you not going to introduce us?"

Hinata snapped out of it, moving back, away from him, at Sasuke's presence the anger had vanished, turning into something else… utter fear.

She could see his chakra was rotating around his body in complex patterns, anger and fear and coldness mixing around him, and his eyes refused to look at her.

She had done something wrong. Something horribly, horribly wrong.

"I don't know her." He stated and she stumbled back slowly, trembling, trying to control herself, trying not to feel panic begin to gnaw at her insides.

_He doesn't mean it… It's a trick. _

"Really." Itachi whispered, turning around slowly. Hinata faced the sudden danger, feeling it acutely, hearing herself gasp, her anger draining at she realized her sudden situation.

_…he's going to kill me…_

_Sasuke. Gomen. _

* * *

**_Ne, ne! It's done... it's actually done... ((wants to sob with relief) that took way to freaking LONG. _**

**_i'm so sorry... ((feels miserable)) i left you all on a cliffhanger... AGAIN._**

**_i happen to hate cliffhangers about as much as you all do, so i will apologize for my evil twin and her evil ways of coming around and randomly cliffhanging everything ((gasp))_**

**_Thank you so much for each review, please leave another one!_**

**_and was it too long? i thought maybe i should have cut it in two, but i decided not to at the last minute... meh._**

**_READ. REVIEW._**

**_-ink!_**


	24. Chp 6: Sorry for Leaving

**_OMG._**

**_Thankyou! To Jigokudayu_** **_for letting me know how to get another document! You rock!_**

**_Read and Review!_**

**_-inky_**

* * *

The cold feeling of death wrapped around your throat is something difficult to forget. She had been attacked before, she had faced others who's intent was to reach a goal and she had been in the way, protector, hired muscle, but still in the way.

This was the first time that someone was looking at her with cold intent. Her death was his goal and as the burning hot sharingan rotated as she felt his hand tighten.

Lifeless, she was consumed for a moment by those eyes, burning right into her mind, and all she could do was lament her own death

It's an odd sensation, having someone's hands wrap around your throat and feel the muscles clenching, your throat collapsing into itself, your lungs startled and painful in your chest, the pain of being lifted off your feet, all of your weight hanging…

She gasped, her hands flinging up to his grip, tight around her throat, pushing her back slowly, his expression suddenly dead. There was no fake amusement there. He shoved her hard against the tree behind her, and her voice wretched out a cry of pain, her eyes clenching shut, listening to his heart beat and her own, drumming so quickly that it ached.

Squirming in his grip, trying to get loose, trying to _breathe… _For God's sake, it hurt, and she could do nothing, nothing at all, her anger, her hatred, all of her energy had drained away.

Where was it? Where had it gone?

She heard it, his voice calling to her, Sasuke's voice screaming her name in panic, her Byakugan took in the sight of chakra flickering in all directions and though some logical part of her mind stated that it was chidori she could hardly think, could hardly 'function'.

"If you don't know her, it's a wonder that you would be able to scream her name." said the cold silky voice of the master, cold red eyes focused on the girl in his grip, sharingan rotating sharply. Slowly his other hand reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Hinata twisted; his hands were cold… like a snake.

Flinching away she tried to look anywhere but his face.

_Air… air, I can't breathe… I can't **breathe! **_

****

She twisted again, her mind rushing, her whole sense of reality starting to fade. Black was beginning to tinge the corners of her vision.

It couldn't be happening… it couldn't. The red eyes began to burn into her own, rotating, the red beginning to make a familiar sensation course through her body. She had seen those eyes…

Those were the eyes of the monster in her nightmares.

_Oka-san! _ _Oka__-san- help me! _

Sasuke. It was Sasuke that would shove her, force her away. It was Sasuke that she heard screaming in her nightmares, it was him… It was him she couldn't think of living without.

_…I love him… _

But the darkness kept devouring.

* * *

He was going to blast the whole clearing to bits, destroy him, shred his brother to shreds, watch his blood splatter…

More Uchiha blood shed for the sake of revenge.

Chidori burning in his hand, the birds hissing and screaming out their anger, he jumped down, the ground shattering under the power of his chakra, white light flashing in all directions sending shadows dancing away, jeering at him.

He paid it no attention, his eyes focused on the girl in his grip, on her squirming, her eyes trying no to look at the red hot sharingan in front of her. She knew what they would do.

_Take me instead, kill me and my family all over again- just leave her… leave her._

A shadow flickered at the corner of his vision, distracting him. Sharply he turned, the chidori making his hands shake, and there stood Itachi, eyes glittering by the light of the chidori in his younger brother's hands.

"Sasuke." He stated coldly, looking at the boy thoughtfully. "I would have thought you would recognize a clone."

Fear, cold trickling fear began down his back, and he spun around, there was another Itachi holding Hinata to the tree, she had grown still…

_No. This can't be happening. _

His eyes turned to look back at the Itachi in front of him and the coldness with which his eyes stared at him.

The Chidori was dying in his grip.

"I came, wondering why you had relinquished your desire to kill me, little brother. Did I not instruct for you to survive? To hate me, and to kill me?" His voice was so calm, just like Sasuke remembered. He had walked back into one of his nightmares, the eyes, the cold lips, the monotone and the questions.

The questions, the 'why' to his life. Why… why, why, _why_?!

Breathing heavily Sasuke took a step back, shuddering, something was happening inside of him, but he didn't know what.

He didn't care, he didn't care if he died. His brother wasn't going to leave unhurt.

"I figured, perhaps you were training here, alone." Itachi murmured, looking back at him still, calm.

"I did not think it would be a woman that would hold you here, captive." His eyes flickered over his little brother to his own clone and the limp form it still held to the tree.

The Itachi there was staring back into the eyes of the Hyuuga heiress, smirking, beginning the cold cycle of torture.

"But that will change now…" The real Itachi turned to Sasuke, watching the younger man's shoulder shake as he stared at the ground and heard Hinata's first whimper, starting at the base of her throat, strangled… a child's cry.

"Once she is removed." Itachi whispered. "She will tear her own throat out in order to stop screaming."

A flash of silver, the whip of blades cutting air. Itachi flickered out of sight, letting the shuriken cut through where he had been standing, lifting his hand up to block his brother's blows sharply, frowning with contempt.

But Sasuke's expression had changed. It matched his own cold expression, his dead impassive gaze.

With a hiss his kunai slit a sleeve of his brother's cloak, letting the sight of a smooth arm sliced open peer through.

The two brothers froze, looking back at each other calmly, inhuman in their lack of strain.

"First blood." Sasuke's voice said, though the sound was dead… a slab of cold ice, same as his eyes. He flicked his kunai into his hand again, staring back at his brother without emotion.

Somewhere along the way the boy from before had vanished.

"First blood." Itachi allowed, looking down at the cut thoughtfully.

_You will die. _Sasuke looked at him, the expression impassive, but in it's impassiveness the words were there, hanging in the air.

He would die, for what he was doing…

* * *

_A red sky, blood red, deep and swirling, clotting in places. A white moon against it, the sight of the power lines crossing over the village, and the Hyuuga house standing against it, it's shadows casting blackness over her whole body, making her cold. _

_She stared at the scene, and looked down at herself, her small fingers and her short legs. _

_A child. She was a child again. _

_The door opened, a woman stepped out, the kimono moving gracefully, her face hidden by the long hair, she was looking away, towards the right, towards the moon. _

_Hinata stared at her, feeling the panic, the shock, the desire to run into her arms. _

_"…Oka-san…" _

_The woman's face turned, focused on her and the smile came forth, gracing those beautiful features, the soft expression. _

_"Hinata." _

_"Oka-san!" she was running then, tripping over herself, clumsy idiot that she was. She threw her arms around her mother, burying herself in the smell of jasmine and lavender that clung to her at all times, the smell of safety. _

_"Hinata." She whispered again, bending down to her level, bringing her in. "What are you doing here, my little one?" _

_Hinata shook her head, confused. "I-I don't k-k-know-" _

_Her mother smiled gently, touching her cheek, brushing aside the tears that were pouring there. "This is the place of the dead. Have you died?" _

_The words were so gentle and yet their meaning was monumental, throwing Hinata into a frozen state of confusion. _

_"…D-d-dead…" she whispered, trembling, shaking her head so hard her short hair waved around her face. _

_"Aw, little one…" her mother whispered softly, her hands beginning to tighten around her arm, digging her delicately manicured nails into her arm, making Hinata flinch suddenly, gasping in pain. "Did the rest of the family let you die too?" _

_The little girl's eyes widened suddenly, forgetting the burning sensation of pain across her arm. "N-n-nani-" _

_"Don't tell me you didn't realize it..?" her mother enquired, leaning in, studying her face. Hinata stared at her, shivering, feeling cold, the whole place felt like it was made of ice. _

_"They didn't kill you!" her voice was so high pitched it sounded like someone else altogether, the panic speaking for her loudly, confused, startled, horrified. The thought had passed through her mind but she had always laughed at it, always shoved it to the side and been ashamed by it. _

_No… no her family wasn't like that! _

_"…no, they let me die." Her hands were tightening, Hinata flinched, squirming in her grip. _

_"It hurts- Oka-san, it hurts…" _

_"Does it?" _

_"Oka-san… please!" _

_"Shss, little one, I'm here." _

_"Let go!" Sobbing now, feeling too small to push away, her fingers pulling at her mother's hands were too small, too weak. _

_"I'm the only one that ever held you- why do you pull away?" Her mother's voice wavered in pain, but her hands were tightening, her nails were so deep into her daughter's flesh that the blood was dripping, pooling, Hinata was wrenching, falling to her knees, shivering. _

_"No! Why are you doing this to me!? Oka-san!" _

_"I'm the only one that ever believed in you! I'm the only one that ever held you, cared for you, healed you, loved you! Stay here, stay with me!" her mother was whimpering, her arms wrapping around her daughter, nails digging into her body as they slid across her back, leaving streaks of blood on the child's skin. _

_A scream escaped the girl's lips as her back arched, trying to pull away from the death grip, from the sickening scent of decaying flowers and dry blood. _

_She should be able to endure a little pain, for her mother, for her poor mother. It was true, she was the only one, the only one that ever believed in anything she ever did. And the struggle was inside of her, her mind battling over her common sense. The blood pooling around her, her mother's words drowning out her own thoughts, making it hard to listen to any sense, to the rational voice of her mind screaming within her. _

_Her mother loved her, her mother would never do anything to hurt her… This pain, this pain was good, this pain was good… _

_Hours, days, she didn't know how long it was, didn't know what year it was, what day it was, where she was, who she was. The rationality of her thoughts was fading, her life beginning to fade in her gaze as she stared up at the blood red sky, the full daunting moon, feeling only the scorching continual pain of her mother's hands ripping the flesh from her arms and back. _

_"Everyone that ever loved you will rip you to shreds, it's the cost that must be paid for the love." Her mother continued, the blood covering her beautiful hands, the long manicured, deadly nails. _

_"They will use you, crush you, shatter you." Her nails dug into her skin, pulling back the flesh, the pain was immense, making her whole body go through spasms of cold and hot. _

_"Love is too close a thing to hate for it to be worth anything." _

_Hinata felt it, the tears she had been crying the whole time. The weeks, the seconds, the years she had been enduring the pain of her blood spilling, her flesh ripping. The tears had dried, leaving crusts of salt across her face, making it rough. _

_Love is too close to hate…? Is it…? _

**_No! No, that's not true! My friends- all of my friends believed in me, knew I could, they loved me, and now they just need me… _**

****

**_And Sasuke… Sasuke… _**

****

_Her eyes widened, staring into the blood red sky and the full moon, the shadows beyond, crawling with insects and dripping with blood. _

_Sasuke. Sasuke… he was out there, this was just a dream, a nightmare. Sasuke needed her. _

_Just like she needed him. _

**_This isn't Oka-san. _**

****

_She felt as her limbs began to grow, stretching, her hair cascading down her back in a shower of darkness, her face aging until she was herself, staring back into her mother's face… which was almost a mirror image. _

_Only the face of her supposed mother had eyes empty of life. They were the eyes of the Uchiha monster. _

_Amongst the pain, and the fear, she didn't think she would be able to find rage, but it came again, relieving her aches, the wounds closing. Her fake mother's eyes widened in slight surprise, drawing away with a miniature hiss of distaste. _

_"…I won't let you defile my mother's memory this way." She whispered back, feeling the tears pouring down her face again, trickling their way down her chin, splashing her hands and legs. _

_"I won't let you win over my mind." She closed her eyes, focusing, fighting, feeling the world around her straining. _

**_Let me go. Let me go. Let me go. Let me go… Let me go…. Let me go… Let me go! _**

With a gasp Hinata's eyes widened, staring back at the reality of where she was. In the forest, facing Itachi Uchiha, looking back at her, shock clearly marked on his face.

Sharply she closed her eyes, feeling the rage and the sudden energy flowing through her.

She didn't need her eyes, Sasuke had made sure of that.

Eyes closed she reached up to his hand, hearing a grunt of surprise as her nails dug into his flesh.

_How dare you… how dare you use Oka-san in such a way. _

Listening intently to his voice, tuning in to his breathing, his heart beating rapidly, his muscles trying to tighten around her throat, tuning in to his chakra and it's feeling rolling off of him, the sensation of it crawling over her skin.

Sasuke's words flooded her mind, a whisper of rationality, of reality and logic.

_"They are all just humans, just like you. Their possibilities are just like yours. I'm your equal." _

Her hands began to tighten sharply around the gripping hand, breathing in as she fought against his grip.

_He's just human… he's just human… _

Her eyes opened, Byakugan flashing. With a grunt she lifted her arm up, twisting forcefully to the side, pumping chakra into her legs as she used the tree trunk to push away.

Itachi drew in a breath, impassive, but nothing could cover the surprise that did cross his pale features.

Arm weighed over with several pounds of extra chakra, she flung her elbow down into his grip, hearing the sickening break as wrist shattered, his grip falling away.

Her feet touched the ground for half a second, shoving off the moment she felt the bark against her toes, eyes focused on the chakra points glowing beside his gaze. With a grunt she shoved her hands forward, her fingers tapping both sides of his head.

Rapidly the clone growled, feeling the chakra points plugged, but furious now. With a grunt he slashed out with a kunai, knocking her aside hard as she flipped over his head.

Crying out sharply in shock and pain the Hyuuga heiress hit the ground hard, rolling over it's moss cover until she came to a stop, crumbled in a heap, her hands over a bloody slash across her stomach, feeling her whole body shivering as she stared down at the ground, listening to Itachi's wordless attempts to speak… but you cannot speak when a kunai has slashed across your throat.

The clone stood there, looking down at the blood falling from his neck, reaching up to touch it, realizing suddenly that the necklace was also gone.

His eyes stared back at the bland lavender tinged gaze of the girl on the ground, shuddering with pain.

_Hyuuga _He realized. Gentle fists were apparently much faster than the Uchiha clan…

With a bang of smoke that smelled of ashes the clone vanished, and Hinata let her head drop down, struggling not to cry, listening to the shattering sound of kunai on kunai above.

There was Sasuke…

A flicker of movement made her look up suddenly, staring at the real Itachi, fear starting at the base of her throat.

Gasping she struggled to her knees, looking at him dangerously, trying to steady herself.

Suddenly Sasuke was in front of her, blocking her way, kunai raised, a slash across his face bleeding unhealthily, his clothing ripped in places.

"Get away from her."

"She's managed to destroy my clone." Itachi replied softly, looking right past him at the pale girl struggling to her feet behind his younger brother.

"I am naturally, curious." He murmured, flickering out of sight.

With a gasp Hinata watched as Sasuke took the solid kick to the stomach, flying back into her, throwing them both against the tree behind them with a loud crack. Pain burned white hot as she felt something break within her, a rib perhaps.

Unable to see, or hear or breath she hit the ground with him in a heap, both of them struggling to catch their breath.

Shivering horribly she lay there, staring up at the canopy of green above and the light that was filtering through it.

_…it's so odd, that there is light…out there, beyond this shadow, there is light… _

He was struggling to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood, crouching elegantly beside her despite the cuts, the blood, the pain clearly marked between his brows.

She stared up at him from her position on the ground, staring at his face, feeling her lips part slightly, wishing she could let out a whisper of how much she needed him…

His eyes were just so cold.

"Hinata." His voice was cold, but when he turned to look at her, there was real need in his expression, desperation. "Go."

Itachi watched silently, patiently.

She shivered, closing her eyes for a moment, knowing what she had to do, forgetting her dream for only a moment as she struggled to sit up, the hot pain of her ribs and the slash across her side making her whimper.

His hands were there, steadying her, knowing his brother would wait… It was him he wanted.

"Go." He whispered again, breathing it into her ear, his voice strained, for a moment she thought he was going to sob. "Go…"

She was shaking as she looked at him, her body beyond her control as she struggled to her feet, knowing she couldn't argue.

She was on her feet, using the tree behind her to stand, his hands were still there, gripping her arm, his eyes studying her face, desperately taking in the hue of her eyes, the curve of her lips.

Without a word she turned, following the darkness, holding her hands up to her side to stop the bleeding, even though each drop slipping through her fingers made it feel her emptier than she already was. Her mind was numb; she could hardly understand what was going on.

There was the darkness of knowing she was walking away, leaving him there… leaving him.

But he had asked her, his eyes pleading as they looked at her, studied her face. There was nothing else to be done as result. She could not stay and could hinder him no more.

_Please forgive me… _

Blood dripping between her fingers, sticking as it coated her hands. The pain of moving with her ribs broken was making her whole torso numb, she could hardly feel the earth beneath her feet, and she had forgotten completely how to breathe, her eyes dazed and focused completely on the ground, and it's subtle rise and fall as she walked.

Darkness, reaching for her, the tree roots rising…

She was panting slightly, unable to breathe, her lungs struggling against the shattered bone within her, the blood spilling, each step leaving a trail of gore behind her.

Her knees buckled before she knew what was happening and she was on the ground, sound echoing around her, she could almost see it, the vibrations making her reality ripple as her body collapsed into the moss, rippling the way the agony of falling on her side was moving through the rest of her body.

She had no more tears to cry, no more words to say, her mind was so tired, sluggish, frightened, cowering in the corner of her being. Fetal position, the numbness of knowing there was little chance for survival.

She stared at her palm laying beside her, coated in blood, a necklace laying in her grip, coarse with her life liquid.

_…his mother's… _

She closed her eyes, feeling defeated.

Slowly she felt herself withdrawing, throwing in the towel, aching for sleep… perhaps even death.

The thought struck something in her chest suddenly, a new ache amongst the waves of agony rolling over her sore and battered body.

No… she didn't want to die.

She wanted to feel him again, feel his lips, his arms, his skin, see his smile, hesitant, unsure of himself, she wanted to watch him move with the elegance that always took her breath away, wanted to hold him when he cried out in the dark, remembering the fears and terrors of so many years ago.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't want him to die…

Her heart began to pound again, as she stared into the darkness and the swirling colors behind her eyelids.

_I can't… I can't not go back… _

Fatigue clung to her every limb, dragging her down, making her movements feel as though she were struggling through mud.

But she began to push herself up slowly, wincing, each wave of agonized pain beginning at the base of her back, starting upwards, tearing itself into her side the way a wolf ripped into the flesh of prey.

That hardly mattered, she was listening intently, watching without seeing the dancing shadows the canopy of trees cast on the ground where she lay, making her blood glitter where it had fallen to cover the moss.

She knew what was coming. She had seen it so many times… heard it so many times.

It was as though she was waiting for his voice to whisper the command into her ear again, for the wordless scream to tell her he needed her again.

And then it came, shattering her reality the way a rock shatters glass, breaking apart her whole world, making her mind mentally hit a brick wall. The agony could not get through it.

_Hinata. Go. _

Chakra she did not know she possessed began to pump through her body, she could feel each thump of her heart beat drowning out the waves of pain, the fire put out and ignored by the sensation of power.

Some rational part of her mind knew there would probably be no getting up once this bit of energy was gone, but that did not matter. She stood anyway, her fingers running over her side where the slice was bleeding, and where the odd bump that was her awkward broken rib was.

Breathing slowly, but heavily she turned around, pouring chakra into her feet, closing her eyes, listening intently.

She couldn't use her eyes for this… there was only one chance.

And she took a deep breath, clenching her hands by her side, feeling her body leaning forward, one foot in front of the other, one breath after the first…

And she was running, sprinting, listening… heading back.

_Forgive me… _

_Forgive me for leaving.

* * *

_

Something about having her gone, knowing she was bleeding, that she was probably going to die had taken away everything he had, everything he could think of…

Something about how she had looked at him, her eyes so dead, so tired, so hurt… it had drained him, stealing it all away, the anger, the hate, the power.

He turned to look at his brother, the expression of cold fury was gone, replaced with impassive wary eyes, and tired shoulders.

"When you left Orochimaru, I assumed it was because you found his teaching not useful." Itachi murmured, ignoring the absence of the kunoichi that had captured his attention for a grand total of five minutes. She was nothing now, a moment in time that kept going.

"I assumed that you would find some other method to do as I instructed." He looked at his brother, the way the sharingan slowly faded and onyx eyes stared back at him, asking the question he had screamed the night of the massacre.

_Why?_

"Demo…" Itachi admitted softly. "… it _is _said that women are the end of all men. All weak men, at least."

There was no reply, no change in expression, no change in breathing pattern. His brother looked back at him, waiting.

Finally weary of the situation the elder Uchiha appeared in front of him rapidly, his hand slamming out, throwing Sasuke so forcefully against the bark of the tree behind him by the throat that the trunk bent into itself, brittle pieces of wood flying in every direction, blood splashing out of Sasuke's mouth as he hung there, unable to breath, unable to move, looking down.

He could not look up… he wanted death. What his elder brother could bring upon him was worse than that.

However, no one had ever said that Uchiha Itachi had it in mind to be merciful. Slowly he reached out with his other hand, lifting his brother's face forcefully up by the chin, staring at the young man as if he were a particularly disgusting specimen.

"The weakness in you is disturbing. To think, you are of Uchiha blood…" he stared back at him a moment longer, taking in the features that were so familiar, a perfect mix of his supposed mother and father. The toughness of his father's chin, the softness of his mother's eyes, and a mix of both made up his lips.

It was sickening.

"For your weakness, they will suffer, all over again." Itachi sighed gently, leaning into his brothers face, staring directly into his eyes, tearing through the feeble defenses there that blocked sight of his soul and his pain.

"And she, the Hyuuga with soft eyes." He smirked then, his lips turning up ever so slightly. "Her fate will be much worse."

Something flickered in his younger brother then… panic, fear…

_Once upon a time, I thought that there was nothing left for me to loose, nothing left for him to take from me but my life. _

Sasuke looked back at him, the chakra beginning to boil within him, but it was too slow.

With a gasp he felt his reality flood away, he was being sucked into the eyes of red, rotating sharingan dragging him back again, back into the swirling nightmare that was his life, his reality, making him face a broken distorted mirror so he could see his broken distorted self.

The scream that ripped through his lips was one he had sworn once he would never allow to escape his lips, but it did, shattering through his vocal chords, ringing through the stillness.

_Flashes of memory passed through his vision, faded against the overwhelming background that was made up of his brother's powerful eyes, their malicious intent. _

_Mother, kneeling, looking up at her older son, unable to move, unable to defend herself. The blood as it sprayed by, silver katana slicing open her body, making her very being pour out red, pooling as her body fell, her hand dropping in the middle of that puddle of her essence. _

_Those hands would never move, all those flowers in the secret garden would die… He couldn't take care of them on his own. _

_Piles of bodies, littering the streets. Flashing kunai, flying shuriken, imbedding themselves into familiar arms, familiar faces, spraying the blood against the wall he used to lean against as he watched his brother come home everyday. _

_Lanterns going out, leaving him in darkness, the smell of metallic blood. _

_And then Hinata. _

_Her eyes, pain filled, staring into his very being, her mouth moving, screaming out something, he couldn't hear her voice, a whistling high pitched sound was shattering his eardrums. _

_Itachi stood behind her, his fingers caressing her neck gently. But she didn't look at his brother, she looked at him, just like Itachi was, watching his reaction, watching him with amused cold eyes. Her lips parted suddenly as she gasped, eyes widening, seeing past him, seeing into him, seeing through him, around him, his very being, standing there doing nothing as his brother… as his brother…. _

_Itachi's hand was in her… driven into her side, blood pouring down. Pain engulfed him, he could feel that hand inside of him too… _

He screamed harder.

* * *

She was too late.

He was pinned to a tree, his brother's hand holding him there, his other hand was driven into his side, the blood was pouring around his fingers, covering the black cloak in it's red liquid, melding it with the red clouds.

Unable to see anymore she closed her eyes, let her body move forward, let the adrenaline take over, the feline set loose, she knew who it was now, it was her, it was her mother, it was Hanabi and her quirky submissive anger, her friends and their efforts to do right, to prove themselves, to be better… It was Sasuke, and his inability to smile…

Just one touch, she had time for just one touch.

Listening only to the intake of breath suddenly from Itachi's lips and Sasuke's gasp of relief as the torture was snatched away she flipped, slamming her hands into the sides of the elder Uchiha's face, shoving chakra into the holes so forcefully that it drained her arms, made her head spin.

But Sasuke had stopped screaming… he had stopped screaming. That was enough.

Itachi turned sharply, hearing at the last second a soft intake of breath, the smell of lavender and jasmine washing over him as a flicker of movement caught the side of his eyes, ink black hair, a whisper of movement, and a brush of silk soft skin against the sides of his face. A pain like stabbing kunai into his eyes forced his hands up against his face, bloody and covered in his brother's life liquid.

Sasuke felt the anger, the passion, the sheer relief of being set free again, away from the nightmare. He didn't even have time to process each sensation, they were flooding his mind so gravely he could hardly function. The smell of Hinata, the feeling of her being there, moving, and the torture, the terror, the memories of seeing his family, his mother…

Chidori roared in their ears as he shoved forward, his hand ripping into his brothers side, tearing apart the cloak, blood splashing as the contact was dodged slightly. Uchiha Itachi was wounded but not defeated.

Panting heavily from the high pitched sound filling his ears and the sharp pain against his eyes Itachi looked down, feeling the coldness of the sudden gaping burn on his hip.

The sound of Chidori faded slowly as Sasuke looked at him, struggling for breath, his eyes alive with the sudden taste of revenge.

"Hn." Itachi managed, putting a hand to his side slightly, trying to quench the bleeding. "Perhaps I misjudged the situation." He murmured, looking past him at the girl sitting collapsed on the ground, panting, dazed, staring at him with a vague confused hatred.

"…The necklace… is obviously yours to keep." He smirked, watching confusion pass through his brother's face.

Wordlessly he took a step back, letting the shadows consume him, their dark hands enveloping him in their secure retreat, leaving no traces.

For a moment, the younger Uchiha took a step forward, but a sound made him stop… The sound of a cough, a struggle for air…

Gasping he spun around, running to her side, catching her as her arms finally failed and gave way.

She stared up dazedly at him, eyes half closed, tears brimming over, making her gaze glitter.

"…Gomen… Gomen, forgive me…please…" she whimpered, reaching up to touch his face gently, the clotting wound on his cheek feeling rough under her fingertips.

He shook his head, unable to speak, burying his face in her hair, breathing her in. "You'll be okay- Hinata, you'll be okay…"

He could hardly feel the pain of the wound in his side and the blood that was pouring, she was the only thing that mattered, and she was fading…

"Just stay with me, breathe, help will get here.." he whispered, wondering where everyone else was… where was Naruto…Sakura…

Hinata just nodded, closing her eyes, listening to his voice, hearing nothing of what he was actually saying.

"I couldn't leave." She opened her eyes then, it was a struggle, it felt like climbing over a mountain, but she wanted to see his face, watch his expression. She never thought she would see someone as strong as him cry, but it looked… it looked like he might…

"…I love you." She whimpered, feeling her own tears start to pour. "I'm sorry… I just c-couldn't… I couldn't leave…"

He stared at her, unaware of his own tears starting to mix with hers as they landed on her face, twisting in their agonies.

_I love you… _

She closed his eyes, and he gasped, leaning into her to listen to her breathing, slowing down, blood was covering her whole torso, her arms, scratches across her thighs and back. There was just so much _blood _everywhere…

"…Hinata! Hinata, listen to me…" he whispered, he knew she wasn't there though, she wasn't hearing him anymore.

"…I love you… I love you, please don't…" he couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't say it, he couldn't allow it to be a possibility.

But the darkness had come and claimed her, she couldn't hear him… not clearly.

At least she could feel it, after all… In order for there to be darkness, there has to be a light somewhere.

* * *

**And that's the end of the story! **

**Just kidding, just kidding ((grins evilly)) I almost had you there, didn't I? mwuahahaha. **

**READ! REVIEW! **

**-ink **


	25. Chp 7: Bubbles and Kisses

**HI! I'm so sorry this took so long to post... i think i wrote a grand total of fourty seven pages for this chapter, cuz i couldnt' get the bloody thing to work! But now its working...mostly, cept for a big solid chunk in the middle that i hate and the fact that i trip over some plotline stuff, but whatever, it's a good enough chappie as i've posted. please be gentle!**

**Read. Review.**

**-inky**

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* * *

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_Can't find a light, can't find a light… shadows, darkening, pain, suffering. Can't find a light, can't find a light… Tripping, scrambling, listening to the whispers of voices she knew, the panic in their tones making her turn and turn in the darkness. It invaded her, ate her from the inside, a fire that was making her heart beat faster. _

_Can't find a light, can't find a light. _

_The voices kept talking, speaking, whispering, but the whispers sounded like shouts from a distance, echoes of an emotion she could not understand. _

_She needed to find them, needed to hold them. All those voices, they had names that came with them, and each name she loved dearly, despite their faults, despite their hurts and aches and the injuries that they had forced upon her heart. She loved them. _

_Can't find a light, can't find a light. _

_Searching, blind and suffocating by the feeling of darkness. The feeling of panic and mistrust that you get when you can't see but you're sure you're breathing in something bad, something horrid, sure that you're breathing in the very darkness that your eyes would have been able to see. _

_Something had taken her eyes away, taken her hearing away too, all she could sense was the touch… sometimes, warm hands, cold hands, cool water on burning flesh. _

Oh God… Why can't I see…? Why can't I see anything?

_Voices, whispers, soft breaths against her ear, but no words came through, only a distorted confused sound that reminded her of 'gomen'. _

_Gomen for what she did not know. _

_She was the one missing, she was the one in the distance unable to reach them all, hold them all. Could she really protect them all? _

_No, she knew she couldn't. But she would try… _

_And he… she would try… because he had tried. _

_Can't find the light… can't find the light. _

_He had tried. That was enough. _

_Ah… there was the light. _

_

* * *

_

_"Hinata!" A shriek, Sakura's sob as Naruto ran into the clearing, carrying her on his back, both of them bloody, covered in grime and bits of one of Akatsuki's own flesh. _

_Naruto slid to a stop beside Sasuke, panting, wide eyed. _

_"Sasuke! Sasuke! You're bleeding!" _

_Sakura scrambled off of him, moving awkwardly on the ground to reach Hinata, already crying. Her leg was at an odd angle, the flesh around her knee already bruising darkly. Something had broken her leg. _

_"Sasuke!" Naruto snapped again, grabbing the young man's shoulders. The Uchiha ripped his hands away gently, panting heavily, pressing against Hinata's wound with trembling fingers, trying to quench the bleeding. Good God, there was just so much blood. It was in the air, filling his mouth with the metallic taste, it's sticky smooth substance covering his rough hands, making them slick. _

Please… Please, Oh God… stop bleeding, stop bleeding…

_"Hinata! Hinata!" Sakura was sobbing it again, her words distorted by the tears. There was just so much blood everywhere. Sasuke wasn't even moving, aside from the trembling that was overtaking his whole body. She pressed her hands over his fingers, her tears pouring down her face, leaving spots of white liquid against their blood stained flesh. _

_"I'll close it! I'll close it, I swear- I'm sorry, Hinata, I'm sorry!" she sobbed, her whole body shivering with each breath, the green glow of chakra beginning to spread from her hands. But there was little of it left within her, little for her to spare, and so much blood. _

_"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, finally beginning to rip his favorite jacket, ready to wrap them around his friend's torso. "Goddamnit! Answer me!" but he wasn't trying very hard to get his attention. He tore the material in his unsteady hands and crouched behind the dark haired avenger, shakily beginning to wrap the wound gushing blood out of his side. _

_Sasuke didn't feel it, breathing in and out unsteadily, eyes focused on Hinata's face, the small frown between her brows, her mouth opened slightly in an attempt to breathe, her lips lined with blood. _

_If she died…If she died he would- _

_"Sasuke!" Tenten was suddenly there, the vaguely unfamiliar face forcing it's way between him and Hinata. Her hands were against his shoulders, pushing him back, tears rolling down her own cheeks, but her voice was steadier than everyone else's. _

_"Sasuke- you're going into shock! Look at me!" _

_He couldn't… His hands fought against her slowly, but roughly, bruising her wrists as he tried to pull her away, get her out of the way of Hinata. _

_But other hands were suddenly dragging him backwards, Naruto, Tsunade-sama. He recognized each voice but couldn't factor it, couldn't 'think'. His eyes took in the blood, the blood that was so goddamn familiar. _

_It had pooled just like that on his floor, on the living room floor, where his mother and his father had- _

_Suddenly he was aware of his own voice, repeating her name, over and over, a chant, it was going so slowly, so delicately that he hadn't really heard himself. _

_But the others heard it and amidst their own fright, their own panic they realized his sudden state of mind, and the ache behind his eyes. _

_"Enough!" Tsunade's voice cutting through, like a whip, her face in his way again, somehow he had gotten rid of Tenten before. _

_Roughly the hokage pressed her fingers against his forehead, looking worriedly at him despite herself. _

_The worry there didn't register. She shouldn't be looking at him at all, she should have been working on Hinata, on making her blood stop flowing. _

_Suddenly he saw the darkness eating at the corners of his vision, a sensation he was so disturbingly familiar with that he knew what was coming. There was something comforting in knowing he wouldn't be able to fight it and wouldn't be able to do anything thereafter. _

_It was someone else's problem now. _

_But not Hinata… please not Hinata… _

_If she died… If she died he would- _

If she dies, I'll throw Itachi and myself into the depths of hell's fire…

I'm so sorry… Hinata.

* * *

Wind chime bells, and a breeze, soft and tangible as it reached her ears. Giggling children, a whisper of voices past a wall.

Her ears worked carefully, identifying each noise, making her frown slightly as she lay in darkness, watching the colors behind her eyes dance.

A door opening, a door closing, footsteps, quiet footsteps…. The wind chime bells sighing again, as if amused by her listening, they tickled her ears, made her want to open her eyes and see what they were laughing about.

But everything hurt so much.

The realization that she was aching came slowly, dragging itself over her body, a steamroller of sudden signals crowding her mind.

Her throat ached, swallowing was a problem, there was a throbbing sensation all over her torso, she could hardly breathe properly, and the weights on her eyelids were heavy enough to keep them closed. It would be a battle to open them… even curiosity couldn't force her to yet.

But that wasn't what kept her attention, slowly it was drawn to the overwhelming wariness that was sitting on her, a pound of it on her body. Lead bones, the description bounced around in her confused mind. Lead bones and frozen muscles.

Taking a deep unsteady breath she decided she would open her eyes, the wind chimes were giggling again.

It was a struggle, and she could hardly deal with it right then and there. Somehow the idea of 'struggle' was something her poor mind was not in the mood to attempt to fathom, but curiosity being the strongest of human traits she pushed on, opening her eyes slowly.

The bright light was what greeted her, a shocking flash of it that made her close her eyes faster than she had opened them, letting out something of a moan despite her best intentions not to. It was like her body had refused suddenly her commands, deciding it would do what was right for it even if she didn't want to.

But someone else was there to hear her and suddenly her hand was being gripped tightly, a gasp making her want to open her eyes again.

"Hinata! Hinata-chan!"

A groggy voice within her stirred, confused.

_Tenten? Ano…hai, that's Tenten-chan…_

Sighing softly the Hyuuga steeled herself for another try at opening her eyes, struggling again until she could see the flash of bright sunlight through her lashes. She squinted groggily, wishing she had the strength to lift her hand up to her face and block the burning light away.

"Hinata! Oh thank God- Tsunade-sama! Nurse! Miyuki-san, she's awake! She's awake!"

Hinata shifted slightly, forcing her hand up to block the light, finally catching sight of Tenten letting go of her hand and rushing to the door on the right side of the room, flinging it open to yell out into the hall, calling for a nurse, for Tsunade for anyone.

"…Tenten-chan…" she sighed softly. "…Tenten-chan…please stop yelling…."

"You're awake, but you're awake." The kunoichi cried, coming back to her. Something about the way she was walking made Hinata study her carefully, noting the cast around her ankle with some difficulty and the bandages around her shoulder and head.

"I'm so glad…" Tenten smiled, looking down at her like any older sister would, just about ready to start crying.

The door flung open and Tsunade stormed in, followed by a handful of nurses scrambling with clipboards, hands tingling with chakra ready to use.

"Quiet, Tenten, step out of the way." She murmured, dark circles lined her eyes and her lips were pale as she leaned over Hinata, pressing her cool hands against her forehead, looking at her with an obviously relieved expression.

"Look at me." She murmured, blocking out the sun with her body. Hinata focused on her slowly, letting out a breath.

"Tsunade-sama…" she murmured, blinking slowly. "…what's happening?"

"You're waking up." Tsunade laughed, the sound marred by the emotion of relief heavily weighing it. "You've been asleep for two weeks."

"Asleep…?" Hinata started, struggling to get her mind to wrap around the feeling.

_Asleep? _

Her body throbbed again, making her flinch.

"Look at me." Tsunade murmured, turning her face gently. "Can you move your hands?"

Hinata nodded, sighing deeply, struggling to move, to sit up. She hurt so much.

"Don't sit up quite yet." Tsunade scolded softly, pushing her back down. "Can you move your toes?"

Again there was a slow nod, but her eyes were closing, making her wish she could just sleep.

"No, you can't go to sleep yet." Tsunade muttered, as if reading her mind, forcing her to look back at her face. "Look at me." She stated, professional fingers beginning to pour chakra right into her. Other nurses were suddenly around her, their clean cool hands pulling the warmth of her covers away, revealing her heavily bandaged body.

"Do you remember anything?" the hokage murmured suddenly, looking up at her with worried blue eyes. Hinata only looked back at her, confused.

_Do I remember? _

_What is it that I should remember? _

"…N…no?" she began slowly, confused by the question. "What are you talking about?"

The blonde shook away the question, out of the corner of her eye Hinata managed to see Tenten's hands rise to her face, her eyes widening with something like surprise… perhaps worry?

The nurses were undoing bandages, revealing slits of bruised flesh and a long twining gash sowed up tightly.

Hinata felt her breath knocked right out of her body at the sight of the wound, gasping she stared.

"N-n-nani?" she began, tears starting to pool in her eyes, making her gaze glitter as she turned to look at Tsunade, startled, confused.

"W-what's happening? What happened?"

"Shss." Tsunade whispered, purposefully ignoring her questions. "Take those stitches out, she's tore them in her sleep, redo them and then I need one of you to speed up the healing process, one good shot of chakra should do it for the bleeding to stop." She stated thinly, her hands pressed against Hinata's neck gently, warm and glowing with the chakra she was pouring into the smooth flesh.

Bruises, yellow and black were still there, fading quickly, but the necklace of them was still obvious enough. Itachi's grip on her neck had been close to enough to break it.

She had escaped death one too many times in the few hours that she had faced the Uchiha.

"Tsunade-sama…" Hinata finally sobbed, panic starting at the base of her throat, as she scrambled to remember. The nagging sensation that something could be horribly wrong was driving her insane. There was something she was supposed to do, someone she was supposed to hold, a name- many names…

"Bring the shot." Tsunade stated suddenly, her voice strained. Tenten gave a soft sound, a strangled whimper of discontent and fear and wariness that made Hinata look at her, ignoring the sticky feeling of her tears rolling down the side of her face.

"Nani? Tsunade-sama! What's going on? What happened?"

Suddenly the name was sitting on her tongue, a face, the feeling in her chest blooming so quickly that it hurt, it ached worse than all the other wounds combined, making her wince.

"Sasuke! Where's Sasuke?"

The bite of a needle in her arm made her turn sharply to see one of the nurses emptying a shot into her flesh, the young girl biting her lip, looking at her worriedly.

"You remember?" Tsunade started, pulling her face back to look at her, but the darkness was already eating at her vision.

"Sensei… Sensei is Sasuke all right? Is he all right?"

Tenten rubbed her face in the corner, looking at her friend, so pale and confused with sad eyes.

"He's fine, Hinata." Tsunade sighed, putting a hand on her forehead gently, looking directly at her eyes. "I promise you, he's fine."

There was nothing but her word to give her any assurance, but she did not seem to be lying. Swallowing heavily, Hinata let her eyes close again, let herself slip back into the coolness of sleep, the comfort of it dulling the agonizing pain of having raw stitches pulled from her side.

He was all aright… that was all she needed to know.

He was all right.

It didn't even occur to the young Hyuuga to ponder if she was all right herself.

* * *

They had been taking turns for what seemed like months, though, it was only truly just about two weeks and a half.

The few of the Rookie Nine that had not been seriously injured spent the days at the hospital anyway, talking to their comrades, or sitting in Hinata's room, waiting for her to wake.

She had woken once, in two weeks, and had had to be sedated. Tsunade had said nothing more to anyone else and the nurses present had been instructed to say nothing about the matter to the others, something that had left most of the team bitter.

Neji had been removed from the hospital days after being stabilized by Tsunade, he was the only one of the team that did not spend day and night there, sitting by Hinata's bedside or that of other team members, just to enjoy the silence of each other's melancholy thoughts.

Most of the wounds had not been fatal, though near fatal was common enough. Ino had been knocked out completely, one of her arms had been shattered by the impact of a blade hilt, she had also had a clean slice to her thigh and had not Shikamaru and Choji been there her throat would have been ripped out by one of Akatsuki's less amused members.

Kisame had managed to tear right into Kiba, irritated by the dual potency of his canine friend Akamaru. The sword had slashed into his side and upwards, fracturing several ribs. He had lost enough blood to be in intensive care for the whole two weeks as well, though he regained consciousness soon enough.

Shino too had had a wrist dislocated as he was thrown from one side of the clearing to the other, the strain on his sinew and nerves had left his hand weakened and useless. It would take months to heal.

Sakura had had her leg broken, one ankle dislocated, and though Naruto had taken the worst beating of them all the Kyuubi inside of him kept him strong. Tenten, Lee, Choji and Shikamaru were the only four to leave the fight with only minor injuries. But none of the Rookie Nine even thought that they had won the fight, or even tied.

Akatsuki had withdrawn, later they realized it was because Itachi had been heavily wounded by a combination of Hinata and Sasuke's efforts.

If they had stayed, it was almost certain that none of them would have walked out, or if they did, their condition would be that of the Uchiha and Hyuuga who had fought so hard.

The first week was chaotic. There didn't seem to be enough medical shinobi in the village to stabilize all of the wounded fighters. Tsunade had taken on most of the work, but even the Hokage had her limits.

Still, all of the Rookie Nine that were awake had told her to work on Hinata…

It had probably saved her life.

The wounds themselves had been grave, but not fatal, though the loss of blood if not stopped by Tsunade's wise hands might have resulted in the loss of the heiress.

But that wasn't what worried everyone. Hinata's chakra levels had hit a record low. They were nearly gone, and chakra could not be transmitted like blood. Tsunade had worked continuously for days, sleeping little, eating when she could.

Like all the other Shinobi the idea of loosing Hinata had left her startled, frightened into action by the possibility.

The next two weeks after the exam had been spent in near silence, the only member of the team that never left the hall in which Hinata's room resided was Sasuke… though he never entered it after the first time she woke.

Sitting on the ground, back leaning against the wall he would meditate, or sometimes doze, but he never left.

Tsunade commanded the other nurses to leave him alone. His wound had not been grave, within a few months the young man would probably be well enough to face training and possibly missions. He was the one recovering best, aside from Naruto who had been good enough to leave within five days.

It wasn't uncommon to see them sitting by her door, in complete silence, the raven haired avenger and blonde future hokage, staring off into space, more melancholy than the whole hospital put together.

Aside from perhaps Sakura and Ino who shared a room across the hall…

Though no one could exactly make out what was happening inside Sasuke's mind there was certainly a feeling of puzzling detachment in the way he was dealing with everyone else's injuries…

Naruto could not understand it, but after a time everyone came to the decision that something had happened during the fight that they would not know about unless Hinata got better. The cold avenger didn't seem like he was going to consider talking about it.

It was only Sasuke that didn't know if he really wanted her to.

Soft steps down the hall made him open his eyes, looking sideways out of the corner of his vision at the Hokage's shoes and painted toes without actually taking it in.

"Ne, Uchiha." She murmured, looking down at him tiredly, though her hands were on her hips as usual.

"Haven't you been moping around here long enough?"

The young Avenger sighed tiredly, saying nothing in return.

Echoing his sigh the Hokage leaned against the wall, arms crossed, then slid down to sit by him.

"She asked for you." she murmured, looking straight ahead. "The first thing she remembered was to ask for you."

The Uchiha closed his eyes, straining not to clench his hands, or punch a wall, or run into the room and kiss her…

"What happened?" she murmured, turning to look at him. As Hokage she had been able to keep Anbu from harassing her patients with grueling interrogations, but that would not last long. They needed to investigate the situation, and the Rookie Nine were the only ones that could possibly know what had happened, as the Security Team they should have been able to prevent the situation.

Something had gone wrong.

"…what do you mean, what happened?" Sasuke enquired quietly, his voice rough from lack of use. Tsunade felt her chest lighten slightly, relieved that he was talking, if only a little.

"Why were they here?"

"Are you asking for a report on the mission?" the question was cold, so detached it felt liked a cold wind.

"Yes." She retorted, just as coldly, turning to look at him and breaking the possible fellowship that had been constructed feebly over the last few weeks.

"Naruto submitted it."

"Naruto wasn't fighting Itachi." Tsunade grunted irritably. "I need to know what in the hell this is." She lifted her hand, letting a small necklace swing there. The cord was simple leather, at it's center was a stone of some kind, deep black, so black it reflected the light.

Sasuke frowned at it over the rim of his high-necked shirt, struggling to remember where that was from.

"…I don't recognize it." He lied, hands clenching.

"Hinata was holding it." Tsunade murmured. "Anbu only gave it back to me after they had finished trying to find out what it was and if it had some sort of jutsu imbedded into it. They found nothing."

"Then it is nothing." He replied shortly, aching to reach out and grab it. Hinata's essence lingered over it. She had held it, clenched it. It probably meant something to her, if not to the village.

And if it meant something to her it meant something to him.

"I'm sure that's not the case." Tsunade replied, reaching the necklace out towards him. "Hinata doesn't waste her time on 'nothings'." Her eyes focused on him. "Kind of makes me wonder why she's still hanging around you." she teased, though it was much softer than anything else she had said over the last few weeks. Everything had been so strict and to the point, no laughter anywhere.

He stared back for a moment, silently agreeing with the comment though he'd never say it out loud.

"Here." She finally muttered, extending the necklace out to him. "If it really is nothing, give it to her."

He flinched, the visible movement surprising them both. Suddenly he didn't want to take it.

"No…" he murmured.

Tsunade frowned at him slightly. "…you're afraid of talking to her…"

Sasuke didn't reply, looking silently at the wall, hands clenched into tight fists that made his knuckles look white.

No one would understand, even if he explained it to them. No one could possibly understand the shame of being unable to protect her when that was all he wanted to do. Of all of them she had pushed herself the most… and there was still the chance that she wouldn't recover. She had woken, and seemed stable, but if her chakra levels didn't return to what they used to be her career as a shinobi would be gone. And her chance at being part of her clan would vanish…

And it was all his fault.

"I'm not about to push you to do anything." She muttered, dumping the necklace on his lap. "…but she asked for you." her tone took on a colder hue. "Don't be selfish."

The sound of her steps fading echoed in his ears, but he didn't move, looking down at the necklace on his lap. There was certainly something familiar about it, but he couldn't think of when or where he had seen it.

But if he really wanted to find out, he'd have to talk to her…

* * *

There was a time before, when she had been smaller that waking up in the darkness of her room had been rare. Her mother said that the only way to wake to a bright day was to have the windows open, with the sun to pour in and caress her face.

As a child she had followed that instruction, waking each day when the sun rose and when the birds began to sing, white curtains letting the warm touch of it's light seep in through the cloth.

There were memories of being comfortable, warm, safe, knowing there was nothing that could harm her, that everything would be okay.

It was the same feeling she was living with at that moment, breathing in the scent of rose petals and bleach, listening to the bird song coming from around her somewhere.

She wanted to open her eyes, because she could feel the sun kissing her face, its warm touch making her skin tingle with delight, but the weight on her eyelids seemed too heavy for her to deal with, slowing her down despite her best attempts.

Slowly she blinked tiredly, eyes half closed as she stared out past her lashes at the blurred fuzzy image of a window set in a white wall, the shutters open, letting the summer sun flood the room with light.

Too tired to think too much of it she turned her head, sighing softly as she did so to stare out into the mainly empty room.

White sheets covered her, the white washed walls were plain except for a single picture in a corner at an angle she could not see.

On a nightstand beside her was a single rose in a slim glass vase, it's petals spread wide to let it's scent escape.

She stared at it for a moment. The little thing was so out of place, dark rich red within the pale room of off whites and grays.

Unable to think she closed her eyes again, unaware of just how pale she was as well, her skin just a touch darker than the blankets she was under.

Dark circles lined her eyes, and her lips were pale and thin, but without moving she felt nothing other than utter wariness, as though it didn't matter that she had been sleeping for what felt like weeks. It felt like she hadn't, like the opposite had happened and she had done nothing but push herself for weeks on end.

Oddly enough she knew, somewhere in her mind that the reality was that she had probably been sleeping for a long time. Tsunade-sama had said so… she just didn't know how long anymore, the last time she had woken Tsunade had said two weeks. This time it could be longer.

Somehow that didn't worry her, the light flooding the room was cheerful enough, and laying down and just sitting there with nothing to worry her was enough.

Her sensei's words were ringing through her mind repeatedly, of how Sasuke was fine.

It was good to know that, though… she wondered where he was.

Turning to look back at the rose she sighed, smiling despite herself. It really was a beautiful flower…

Maybe Ino had got it for her…

As if thought could summon her the door opened softly and Ino stood there, looking back into the hall, unaware of Hinata's smile spreading across her face.

"Ne…this one is really good…I'll put it in her room." She turned, her hands coming up with a lily, bright white and beautiful, drawing Hinata's attention away from Ino's face curiously, wondering who she was talking to.

The blonde however closed the door quietly, studying the lily before looking up and freezing, staring at the girl in front of her in shock.

"Hinata-chan!" the cry was loud and she rushed forward, grabbing her into a hug that made both of them flinch in pain as their broken bones reacted to the roughness.

"Ow, ow… damn, gomen! I didn't mean to-" Ino began, listening to Hinata's soft laugh followed by a cough as she struggled to breathe.

"Ne, ne, Ino-chan, I'm so glad to see you."

The blonde stared at her a moment, as if shocked the words, her lower lip trembling slightly. "Ne… you are?"

Hinata blinked, surprised by the question. "Nani? Of course I-"

And Ino was hugging her again, crying that time, her sobs shaky. "Hinata-chan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- I know before I was all sore, I'm sorry, you didn't deserve it… and then you were almost dying, and I didn't know if I'd ever be able to live with the things I said, you were right, I couldn't fight at all, Shikamaru and Choji, they had to save me… I would have died-"

"Ino-chan…" Hinata whimpered, struggling with the pressure to her torso, flinching, listening only half heartedly to Ino's long rant.

"Oh god, sorry!" The blonde gasped, pulling back slowly, rubbing at her eyes already poofing with redness.

"…we all missed you, a lot." She admitted, sniffing softly, studying the ground. "…there's always been someone here, all the time, waiting for you to wake up. I was just changing with Choji-kun."

Hinata started, shocked by the news. Had she missed Sasuke? Had he been there, watching and waiting for her to wake?

"…how is everyone?" she asked quietly, struggling not to ask about Sasuke directly, for some reason she didn't want to seem too overbearing.

Ino sniffed, rubbing her cheeks dry with the back of her hands, still holding the lily. "Half of us are still here." She pointed down to herself and the bandaged torso under the loose shirt she was wearing.

"I'm in the room across from you with Sakura, but Sakura only stays here because it's easier for everyone. She has a broken leg but nothing very harsh."

"…so everyone is okay?" Relief washed over Hinata's face, her heart lightening rapidly. Ino nodded quickly. "Hai, everyone is recovering pretty well. I got it the worst, technically speaking, aside from you and Sasuke…" she flinched.

"How… how is Sasuke-kun?'

Ino's blue eyes flickered to the door and then back towards the Hinata rapidly. "He's fine… he's…outsi-Ne, he healed pretty well, from that gash in his side and the mental strain." Her gaze shifted away, towards the rose in it's vase. Quietly she walked over to the flower, ignoring Hinata's confused gaze on her.

"…where is he, Ino-chan?"

The blonde fidgeted, taking the rose out carefully, placing the lily in the vase instead, her back to Hinata.

"I don't know."

Hinata stared at the blonde's back, studying for the first time the many bandages over her friend. There were some on her elbow, and a cast that stretched from her forearm down over hand. She could see more strips of cloth wrapped around her throat like a turtle neck, supporting her exposed flesh, and a make-shift bandage was strapped to her cheek.

Had she been wearing something short she would have also been able to see the bloody wraps around her thigh. Frowning, both from the reaction and from the heavy amount of visible wounds the Hyuuga stared, silent waiting for some sort of reply that would actually answer her question.

But none came, and Ino simply turned to look at her patiently, smiling. "Ne, look at those flowers, Hinata-cha. They're beautiful."

"Hai." Hinata nodded, forcing a smile to grace her face. "Arigato, Ino-chan."

The blonde smiled. "No problem, the least I can do is put them in their vase."

Blinking confusedly Hinata drew herself from her confused thoughts to stare at her. "Ne…where did you get them?"

Ino shrugged. "I didn't. Sasuke did."

The Hyuuga froze, looking at Ino impassively for a moment.

_He brought the flowers… _

Rapidly her eyes shifted to the door, staring out into the hallway. He had stood there, he had stood there, just outside the doorway.

A bitter sweet sensation slipped over her, making her whole body shiver with the mixture of delight and confusion.

He obviously needed time…

And even though she missed him, and it left her a little sore not being there, with him, she'd give him the time he needed. For both their sakes.

* * *

Bubble gum wrappers littered the whole floor, Hinata strained to chew the mass of chewing gum, giggling despite herself as Kiba, Shino and Ino sat around her room, laughing as well, Shino more smirking slightly than laughing, but it was close enough.

"Okay, okay." Ino said thickly past the wad of chewing gum in her own mouth. "Now, you have to spread it over your tongue, like… a bandage, kind of." She mumbled, working the gum around.

Hinata began to laugh again, unable mold the bothersome material despite her best intentions, her hands up to her poofed out cheeks, pink from the strain and the giggling.

"If she chokes, I'm blaming you two." Shino mumbled from the corner of the room, arms crossed, looking out the window.

Kiba and Ino just laughed some more, watching Hinata strain with the bubble gum. "Come on, even Tsunade would have to admit that it was our duty as her friends to teach her how to blow a bubble." Ino cried, not loud because of the amount of 'stuff' in her mouth.

"It's disgraceful, seventeen years old and unable to blow a bubble." Kiba scolded, sounding ridiculous with the mouthful of gum to obstruct his deep voice.

Hinata burst into giggles again, munching on the gum as best she could, but there was a lot of it.

"Okay, now that you've got it somewhat spread over your tongue- actually let me see-" Ino instructed, putting a hand on Hinata's knee over the covers of her bed. The Hyuuga blushed but opened her mouth.

Nodding, Ino grinned. "'kay. Now, pull your tongue out of the gum and kind press the gum against the rim of your lips."

Laughing again at how weird it sounded Hinata nodded, making Kiba burst into uncontrollable laughter as she strained with the bubble, a sad little thing appearing over her mouth for a few seconds before deflating and making her lips all sticky.

"You absolutely suck at this!" Ino giggled, wiping tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes. Even Shino was chuckling despite himself, watching his friend laughing the way they hadn't seen her do so in weeks.

It had been nearly a month since the Chuunin Examination and three weeks since Hinata had begun to wake regularly each day. Now able to sit up and have visitors the Hyuuga often spent her days with one or more of her friends, talking, or reading or as it so happened, attempting to learn to blow bubble gum.

"I do absolutely suck at it…" she admitted, trying to wipe her mouth and failing miserably. "I can't believe I'm so bad at it!"

"Can you blow soap bubbles?" Ino stated suddenly, deadly serious, making Hinata blink at her and Kiba stop laughing for just a second.

"No…"

At this even Shino started to laugh at loud, amused beyond reason at the look of shame that dared to cross her small face, embarrassment making her blush.

"Ne, ne! Where was I supposed to learn this stuff anyway?" she smiled, taking the wad of gum out of her mouth and dumping it in the garbage can, rotating her jaw slightly to loosen it up.

"I dunno, preschool maybe?" Ino smirked, following her example and getting rid of the massive amount of gum.

"Well that just figures." Hinata laughed. "I was privately tutored at the time."

"Can you just see your tutor trying to teach a three year old Hinata how to blow bubbles?" Kiba laughed. At the comment Hinata burst into uncontrollable laughter, rubbing at her eyes to get rid of the amazing amount of happy tears. "Oh he was such a cranky old man, he'd never!"

"I bet!" Ino laughed. "You can't be taught that by anyone other than your peers, it's unnatural, ya know?"

Hinata nodded, as did Kiba, looking out the window with Shino to see if Akamaru was all right outside still.

"Kinda like kissing too, I guess." She admitted, cocking her head, looking thoughtful.

At the word the still shy Hinata blushed and stared up at the ceiling, asking some god above why her friend was so oblivious.

"Hey, Hinata!" Ino cried, turning to look at her sharply. "Do you know how to kiss?"

The silence that followed was deafening, the sound of her blood rushing to her head so loud she thought the others could probably hear it too.

"N-n-nani?" she stuttered, letting out a nervous little laugh. Ino smirked. "You don't, do you! Kiba here should be able to teach ya, ne, Kiba-kun?'

"The hell!" Kiba cried, blushing and twitching at once. "It'd be like kissing my sister! No offense, Hinata-chan, demo-"

Laughing again Hinata shook her head. "I agree, it'd be weird, like kissing Neji-san."

At this both Kiba and Ino allowed themselves a collective "Eww." While Shino closed his eyes distastefully.

"Oh, I didn't think I'd be THAT bad." Kiba grunted, wrinkling his nose.

"Ah! Demo- he's my cousin!" Hinata cried, surprised by their reaction.

"He's been more grouchy than before 'our' Chuunin Exams." Ino grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I don't think even Tenten can put up with the guy, and she's half in love with him as it- Oops!" gasping Ino threw her hands over her mouth, staring at the others with wide eyes.

Hinata laughed, shaking her head. "Ino-chan… you're not very good at keeping secrets…"

"Good thing I don't tell you anything as it is." Kiba grunted, giving the blonde a very meaningful look, earning a glare in return. "It's slipped out!" she cried, allowing her hands to drop from her mouth a few inches.

"Tch, I wouldn't want anything else to slip out." Shino retorted, quirking an eyebrow. Ino stuck her tongue out at him. "Ne, ne, there's nothing to slip out now, it's not like I keep records of all the people who like one another or anything, cuz if I did then you're know about Misa and her fanclub starting one for y- oh DAMN!" again she slammed her hands over her mouth while Kiba and Hinata almost fell over laughing, watching Shino twitch repeatedly in shock.

"Misa? As in Sasuke's Fan Club Misa?" he stuttered, looking about ready to jump off a cliff. Ino stared back at him, wide eyed, ignoring Hinata and Kiba's loud laughter. "I don't know anything!"

The door opened into the scene of loud giggling and Tsunade-sama could only roll her eyes, smirking slightly as she walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Well, she seems to be recovering quickly." The Hokage muttered, quirking an eyebrow at Shino's pale expression as she walked over to Hinata, who straightened and forced herself to stop laughing, smiling at the Hokage warmly.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama."

"How are you, Hinata?" Tsunade enquired, putting a hand on her forehead thoughtfully, amazed by the quick recovery of the girl's chakra over the last month. She was getting well quickly, she could already stand and walk around for a few minutes three days after waking the second time. Three weeks after the exam she was just another patient healing a slash to her side.

"Fine." The girl replied truthfully, ignoring the nagging tightness that was constantly biting into her side from still sore wound. Other than that it was like her strength was seeping back slowly but surely, no more worries there.

"Good." Tsunade nodded, then she turned to Kiba and Shino, who were already standing, heading towards the door.

"Bye!" Hinata waved, knowing they were leaving so Tsunade could do a proper examination of the wound. It stretched from her hip across her torso almost between her breasts, and they knew so. It was less humiliating if they just left.

"See ya later, Hinata-chan!" Kiba called, Shino just waved, his eyes smiling over the rim of his shirt as he closed the door.

"You're been laughing a lot." Tsunade noted thoughtfully, waiting for the Hyuuga to remove her hospital shirt.

Ino walked over to the window and pulled the blinds, humming all the while, moving to shift the rose sitting in it's respective vase by the bedside.

Sasuke was still refusing to enter Hinata's room… and had stopped lingering outside in the hall. But he still went to the receptionist every single day and left a flower of some kind, as well as an answer as to how he was doing, because every single day Hinata would enquire about it to someone.

It was an odd confusion relationship that no one but the two involved really understood. Or so Ino and the other Rookie Nine supposed, though the truth was neither Hinata nor Sasuke knew what to do.

He had wanted to see her for so long it seemed like he'd never actually get to, as if the person in the room was nothing more than a ghost he remembered.

And she had wanted him to enter for so long that she was starting to think if he had forgotten her. Though the flowers contradicted that every single day too.

It was a confusion bitter sweet reminder of how being caged in the hospital would have driven her mad if her friends didn't visit her so often, even after they had recovered from their own injuries.

"We were teaching her how to blue bubbles." Ino said to Tsunade's statement, caressing the rose thoughtfully. "The girl had no fun as a child."

Tsunade smirked slightly, studying the white strip of flesh across Hinata's torso thoughtfully, glad to see improvement in the muscle.

"It's getting much better. You should be able to leave any day now… Maybe even tomorrow."

Hinata stared at her, shocked.

"It's only been about a month…."

"A month and a week." Tsunade nodded, examining her ribs in turn. "You wont be able to train for another month or so, but then you can start off slow."

A little worried, Hinata fiddled with her hospital bracelet, frowning at it. "Will I be well by my next birthday?"

Ino and Tsunade looked at her silently, recalling the importance of the Hyuuga's next birthday.

"…I should hope so." Tsunade admitted, frowning slightly. "This had put you a step back, has it not?"

"Not too badly." Hinata lied, smiling slightly. Slowly she glanced up to look at her. "How is Sasuke-kun, today?"

Tsunade stared for a moment, always surprised by the diligence of Hinata's question. "He's good… I saw him training. I believe he moved to a different house while the other one is repaired." She smirked slightly. "It's got a bigger kitchen."

Blushing slightly Hinata looked down at her hands. "I'm glad to hear he's all right."

Frowning in confusion at the Hokage's odd tone Ino cocked her head, her blonde mind attempting to piece together something that felt disturbingly obvious.

"…So, I may leave, tomorrow?" Hinata enquired suddenly, making Tsunade look up at her again from studying the bruised side of her ribs where the bones were still healing.

"I believe so. If you don't strain yourself you should be fine. Where will you be going?"

Hinata's eyes flickered left and right, nervous. She had not thought of that.

"I would have to think about it." She mumbled, sounding sheepish. Tsunade laughed, sitting up, handing her her hospital shirt again.

"You've a whole day to do that. Anyway, your ribs look fine, however, I don't want you running, or so much as lifting anything any heavier than a book, do you hear me?"

Hinata nodded, wide eyed, staring at her sensei with utter respect.

"And if I hear of your having anything to do with training and or working in the next few months, so help me I'll find you." she glared.

Laughing nervously Ino stepped in, patting Hinata on the head. "No worries, with Sakura, Tenten and I around to beat her into submission she won't be lifting a finger for the next few years if you ask me."

Tsunade smirked, pulling back her gaze softening slightly. "Good."

Waving over her shoulder absently she stepped out the door. "Make sure you tell the receptionist you're leaving tomorrow." Without another word she closed the door behind her.

Hinata blinked, a bit puzzled by the situation. She was excited… no ecstatic to be leaving, to be able to step outside and feel the fresh air… and of possibly seeing Sasuke… if he wanted.

But that always made her nervous too. What could she possibly say… what could she possibly do?

"So…" Ino began, watching her friend's dreamy expression curiously. "Are you going to be staying with Sasuke again? I mean… my mom and dad might make an exception if you don't feel like it…"

Hinata started, turning to look at her sharply. "Ano… I don't know quite yet, Ino-chan." She murmured, frowning down at her hands. "I'll tell you tomorrow?"

Ino nodded, rubbing her arm thoughtfully. "You could always stay with Sakura too, ne? I hear you two patched things up?"

Hinata smiled then, nodding. "I suppose you could say that."

The blonde scoffed, flicking her long pony tail over her shoulder. "She told me all about how she apologized repeatedly and asked you to forgive her." She muttered. "Pinky is very emotional."

Smiling at the hypocritical remark Hinata nodded. "Hai. But it was nice, to know she didn't feel good about the situation."

"What're you two gonna do about Naruto? Has he come to visit you, by the way? The baka-mono has nearly vanished off the planet."

"He came a few times." Hinata nodded. "Because we're all hurt he's taking more missions than usual."

"Heh!" Ino laughed. "That ought to whip his rear end into shape. But anyway… what are you two gonna do? Just battle it out for the big goof?"

The Hyuuga giggled, shaking her head. "No… I-I… I'm not interested."

At this Ino frowned, lowering herself onto the bed in front of her, looking directly at Hinata's face, startling the heiress slightly.

"Let me get this straight." She began slowly, looking deadly serious. "You miss Sasuke, you're going to try to move in with him again, you're letting Sakura have Naruto…." She stared at her.

"I may be dense… but I'm not that dense…"

Hinata stared, wide eyed. "N-n-nani? What are you talking about-?"

"Come off it!" Ino squealed, jumping to her feet. "You like Sasuke!" she pointed at her friend triumphantly, looking more excited than a child in a candy store.

Shushing her as quickly as she could Hinata looked around, waving her hands to get her to be quiet. "No! No, I don't!" she gasped, shaking her head.

Ino stuck her tongue out bending down to her level. "You can't lie your way out of this one, Hinata-chan. Either you like him or you loooove him cuz you-" Ino stopped, watching Hinata suddenly look seriously at her, even though she was blushing slightly.

Her jaw dropped.

"You LOVE him?!?!"

"Ino-chan! Be quiet!"

And there once more showed up the unchained feline.

* * *

**I think this was a lil less intense than you guys expected, but i thought it was the best way to go. more intensity and you might all explode.**

**Also,t his is quite a bit less of a cliffhanger. i was getting SO tired of those things, lol**

**hopefully you all like... the whole Sasuke-emo thing is gonna be addressed in the next chappie, so dont you all start complaining that he's acting weird, i havent given him his chance to talk yet, ya know?**

**anyway. please read, and review!**

**-ink**


	26. Chp 8: Kissing a Panther

Sitting silently in the hospital she sighed, studying the clothes laying on her bed, neatly folded, carefully ironed by the nurse's careful hands. They looked softer than anything she had ever managed to do to them, despite her own careful work at home- or… at Sasuke's house.

Rubbing her forehead gently in confusion at the thought she sighed, standing up slowly, flinching as her wound stretched.

Before she had been able to say Sasuke' house was home. It hadn't sounded strange in her mind, but being away from him for so long had forced some of the distance between them back again, the awkwardness feeling vaguely one-sided, since she hadn't actually been able to see him and his reaction towards her.

For a moment she wondered if he even knew that she was being let out of the hospital, but that didn't seem to matter after a second of quiet deliberation. She would go to their old house… just to see what was going on there… she would find him…

Her stomach dropped at the idea, but she forced herself through. Her desire to see him and know what was going on was a lot stronger than her fears.

Quietly, but determined she began to dress, removing the hospital clothes she had been wearing for so long, the bitter sweet sensation making her smirk confusedly at her undecided emotions.

It didn't matter, there was no way around the situation. She had to see him… she had to.

* * *

Tsunade had said something or other about him resting. She had been very clear, her was sure of it, but somehow listening to her talk for more than two minutes at the time had been something he wasn't prepared to do and so didn't do it, listening only to the last part which consisted of a very powerful threat to rip out his organs and have them fed to him if he didn't rest.

But, seeing as he didn't listen, and in all honesty, didn't care, he figured he had the right to just ignore that very carefully put together warning and do whatever the heck he wanted.

And what he wanted most was to beat himself so badly that he couldn't 'think' couldn't function and remember again and again the agonizing sight of his family dying, their blood spilling and him standing there uselessly as it happened.

But worse than that was the sight of Hinata, in reality and the vagueness of the hallucination induced by Itachi… bleeding and dying.

He shook his head, pushing up slowly from the one handed push up, the sweat dripping down his face to splash on the cold stone floor of the new house he had decided to occupy.

A lot of the Uchiha households were furnished and pretty much kept in good enough order to be used if he so wished, which came in handy when his brother decided to randomly show up and destroy his favorite one to shreds.

He pushed up again, straining, feeling the wound in his side give a sharp jab into his common sense, urging him to be bloody rational and stop before it ripped again.

The pain, however, was comforting and he pushed down again, closing his eyes, paying attention only to the sensation, trying to forget for all the world the nagging guilt that was sitting heavily on his chest.

He hadn't gone to see her… how long had it been? Three weeks.

He had never felt like such a bastard in his entire life.

_You kiss her… you tell her you love her… and then you abandon her… what kind of a sick disgusting piece of worthless shit are you anyway? _

It was always disturbing how the voice inside his head sounded so much like himself and not his brother. He had always assumed that the mocking psycho within him would somehow sound like the one psycho he detested with a passion in real life.

Though truth be told… he knew quite a few of them, his old sensei included.

The memories of childhood nightmares mixed with fresher far more realistic nightmares in reality at Orochimaru's lair sent him reeling, his arm giving out under him suddenly, forcing him to catch himself before hitting the marble of the living room floor.

The house was amazing, to say the least. As the child of the clan head he had assumed, somehow that they weren't a particularly prestigious clan… as a distant excluded branch of the Hyuuga they were smaller and less powerful.

However the money that the Uchihas had became obvious to him the moment that his family died. It had taken a few teachers to explain to him exactly how much it was…

Despite living in a house that was simple and modest his clan was anything but poor. Though they didn't quite match the Hyuuga fortune, they were damned close.

And since everyone was suddenly dead, all the money they had in their possession when directly to the bank, interest building so quickly that it nearly doubled, keeping up slightly with the steadily competing fortune of the Hyuugas.

Still, his relatives had been quite a bit more lavish than his own parents. His old house was a shack in comparison to the one he had chosen to occupy for the time being while it was repaired.

The foyer was a looming circular room with a skylight above it taking a chunk of the sky as his personal roof, three corridors led out, outline in black marble frames and deep red wood. The corridors led to several elaborate rooms he had not bothered to order clean, and from there the house kept spreading, bedrooms with their own sitting rooms, studies and bathrooms, little apartments all on their own.

He had been within the Hyuuga compound and he knew just how massive it was, but he figured that even Neji-teme would be vaguely impressed by the sheer size of the house, and possibly by the artful design. The Uchiha emblem was carved into most of the posts, using the black marble to outline it against the rest of the dark red wood.

But it had been the kitchen that made him want to get the house. There were a few within the household, some designed just for the elaborate ceremony of making tea, others for household uses.

There was one that was of particularly nice make, smooth marble counters, relatively new appliances and a lot of room, the dishes still hiding within the cupboards.

The moment he saw it while viewing the houses he had nodded at the caretaker, muttering something about taking the house for the next few weeks. After signing all bothersome legalities he had been faced by the curious expression of the lawyer.

"…may I enquire, Uchiha-san… why this one?"

Sasuke had stared at him a moment, pondering how to answer. "…I know someone who would like it." He admitted, frowning at himself.

The lawyer had looked curious, despite himself, but had not asked, something that Sasuke had been extremely thankful for.

It seemed, his subconscious still expected her to suddenly appear, out of thin air, even after he'd been a complete bastard and ignored her…

He hadn't actually ignored her though, he'd made an effort to send her flowers, knowing full well she would have felt disconnected with the world outside if she couldn't see some trace of it.

But he hadn't been there… even though he had wanted to. The idea of looking at her and knowing she had suffered because of his utter inability...

The thought made him cringe. Coward that he was, he couldn't face her. He would rather go head to head with Orochimaru again than look at her.

She was so much stronger than he was…

Irritated by the gloomy thoughts he pulled himself to his feet, ripping the sweat soaked shirt over his head and tossing it lamely aside, careless.

He needed to get out of the damned house. It was big and grand and bloody empty. It felt worse than his old house.

And it smelled of emptiness, dust and cobwebs had been cleared from his living spaces, but the hell, it was still empty and it still smelled empty.

Shaking out his sweat soaked locks he grabbed another shirt from his training bag, skipping down the steps leading to the front entrance that looked more like the beginning of a city archway, he turned, slamming the door closed, and uncharacteristically forgetting something returned, pulling out a key.

The house had a lot of valuables… this one he could not simply leave open.

Letting out a soft breath he turned around and began to jog away not really paying attention to his heading, too deep into his melancholy thoughts to care.

The day had just begun, bright sunlight that made him flinch poured down from the sky, the empty sound of the streets around the mansion noted in the back of his mind. Before, when his clan had thrived, the streets had been bubbling with his cousins, most of which he had not bothered to interact with as a youngster, too frustrated with their senseless games and lack of concentration.

While he had wanted to train, they had wanted to play. It had been enough to make him withdrawn and anti social. Almost arrogant.

That hadn't been the intention. Instead he had felt excluded, slightly weird in comparison.

Panting, from the pain of the slash in his side he slowed and stopped, staring down the road on which his old house stood, watching the trees swing with the summer breeze, bright pink, purple and white blossoms flowing across the scenery of the bright summer day, tangling themselves in his hair and clothes, the scent so strong and yet comforting that he took a deep breath, partly to calm himself and his gasping but partly to remind him of the only time he had felt like he had a home…

It was strange, how home was a person and not a house…

Swallowing he began to jog, a bit slower than before, heading past the house, paying it not even a second glance, listening to the sound of hammering from inside as the workers put their effort into rebuilding the damaged support beams that Kisame had probably knocked over for the sake of fun.

Idly he continued on into the bushes, walking bitterly into the empty garden of wild flowers and tulips growing quite confidently in the bright summer light, their petals reaching out to suck in the fruits of the sun.

Only the rushing water made any sound, roaring over the whisper thin touch of the wind in the tree branches.

He stared, remembering Hinata's expression upon seeing the place before, not even in full bloom yet.

Wonder had crossed that soft face, and then joy at the sight of so much color and life. "Ne… I wish I could give it to you." he admitted, his voice shaking in the utter silence.

Swallowing forcefully he lowered himself down to the ground near the river bank, leaning back to stare up at the sky, arms folded under his head, watching the clouds pass by.

She would be better soon… It was something he couldn't deny. She would be better, and he would be faced with looking at her again, trying to explain why he hadn't reached out to her…

He didn't think he'd allow her to forgive him.

_I can't just not… speak to her, at least. I can't… these last few weeks have been hell. _

He closed his eyes, straining to breathe calmly.

_…I have to go see her. _

Clenching his hands he sat up, rubbing his face awkwardly, frustrated by the situation, but not enough to be caught off guard.

Soft, slow steps whispered in his ears and he froze, listening intently to the pattern of breathing, the rhythm of movement.

His heart knocked against his chest hard, making him tense, eyes widening as he stared at the rushing river below.

_Hinata. _

He couldn't move… couldn't force himself to turn around at the sound of her stopping, at her soft gasp of surprise. It had been an accident…

She hadn't come looking for him.

Some might just call it fate…

* * *

He wasn't moving, looking straight on ahead, fixated, it seemed, by something on the other side of the river.

But she hadn't spent most of a year with him to learn nothing. She knew his capabilities, probably better than anyone except for himself. He had heard, long before she had reached the clearing that someone was coming…

It wouldn't surprise her if he knew already it was her.

But that didn't matter, none of it did, looking at him, wearing as usual all black, staring off into the distance, she felt the first aches in her chest. It hurt the way it sometimes hurt to remember Okaasan.

Hands clenching tightly she swallowed, feeling her body shiver slightly despite the warm sun.

"….S…sasuke-kun?"

He moved, he really wasn't a statue, or a figment of her imagination. His head bowed, as if the sound of her voice were something he was struggling with.

_Why won't you look at me…?_

Her hands shook, aching to touch him.

_Why won't you look at me? _

Two quick steps and her arms were around him, the touch sending electric shocks down both their bodies, knocking the air right out of Sasuke, leaving him speechless, the warmth of her touch was agonizingly sweet.

She wasn't sobbing, but then again she hardly ever sobbed. Still, he could feel the tears against his neck as she pressed her face gently there, skin to skin, her hands shaking as he took them, twined his fingers with hers to make sure she was there, that she was real.

"…you didn't come… and I was worried… and I'm sorry… if I did something wrong… you didn't come…" she was whispering it, hardly audible, and for a moment training was a burden as he picked apart the words, each sentence slashing open wounds through his mind.

Panicked by the idea that she was blaming herself he turned, seeing her face suddenly for the first time in over a month, his whole sense of self blown clear out of him at her tears, at the fact that he had caused them.

"Hinata, Hinata- stop." He whispered, taking her face in his hands, rubbing away her tears. The girl shook her head, lashes glittering with the dew drops of mixed relief and sadness rolling down her cheeks.

"You didn't do anything- it was me…" he gasped, tentatively kissing her tear streaked cheek. "It was me… I couldn't look at you…I'm sorry… you were so hurt- I'm a coward-"

Wordlessly Hinata kissed him, cutting him off in mid sentence, determined not to hear anymore from either of them.

Gasping she pressed against him, feeling his heart pounding under her palm, blood rushing so fast it was leaving her light headed.

She hadn't thought she would loose control so quickly, she hadn't realized how much she had missed him… it had only been a month.

But saying it that way left her feeling miserable. Only a month was hardly justice. It had been an agonizing month… wondering where he was, why he was avoiding her.

Now it all made sense… and it was okay, because he was there, and he wasn't pulling away.

Hungrily he kissed her back, startled by the sudden addiction to her skin, his whole body aching for her so badly it was a struggle to pull back to breathe, his arms pulling her in tightly, lips tracing her neck, leaving trails of whispering flame against her skin.

"…I missed you." they stated in unison, startling each other out of their daze, looking back at one another in slight awe, both wanting to laugh at just how silly and yet how real it was.

_I missed you. And I'm sorry. _

It didn't matter that they didn't really understand what they were apologizing for.

An apology is an apology. You take it and go.

* * *

It wasn't like things had suddenly gone back to a harmonious normality. Quite contrary his emotions were doing so many ups and downs that he was hardly capable of understanding the situation. Most of him was achingly _glad _that she was there, that he could touch her, hold her, kiss her and that she wasn't going anywhere.

Another part of him was murmuring dark nothings about the situation he had put himself in. Hinata wasn't invisible to Itachi and Akatsuki's gaze… The part of him whispering darkly stated not to be selfish, to pull back, for her sake.

But sometimes, you know what you can do, and what you can't do, even for the sake of someone else. And he simply couldn't pull back.

Sitting in one of the living rooms in the new house, his head on her lap, he had no intention of pulling away, half asleep with her fingers playing softly with his hair. It was strange, just how quickly they became comfortable with one another and knew each other's boundaries.

For one thing, Sasuke didn't have boundaries… Hinata could pretty much do whatever she wanted. She knew it the moment he kissed her, holding back, shaking slightly from the strain of control.

He would leave the boundary lines up to her.

He was aching for touch so much he'd take whatever she handed him.

At that moment the wash of soft caresses had left him completely dazed, half asleep but resting more peacefully than he had in months, his whole body completely relaxed.

Hinata smiled softly, bending down to kiss him, startling him right out of his sleep in a hurry.

It felt like she was petting a dangerous but amazingly adorable panther…

Pulling back slowly she shifted, and he sat up, watching curiously as she curled up against him, her lavender scent intoxicating as it reached his nose, making him bite his lip to keep from kissing her hungrily again.

"…what happened…after I passed out?" she murmured, her soft fingers reaching up, tangling themselves in his hair. He closed his eyes, but only for a moment, opening them again to stare right back at her, amazed that she wasn't looking away, meeting his own intense stare with her softened understanding.

"…I don't remember exactly. Tsunade said I went into shock."

She closed her eyes, leaning into him, breathing him in, lips grazing his neck, making his hands clench.

"…that's not good."

He smirked, nuzzling her back, finding it ridiculous that she could make him want to be softer just by being there.

"I got better quickly."

"Good."

"Hn."

"I love you."

Stunned he pulled back, staring at her, at the blushing cheeks and bright lavender eyes looking back at him uncertainly, searching his face.

They had both said it… but that was the second time she had stated it to him. Somehow he still couldn't believe it.

"…you do…?" he couldn't believe he had said that when it came out, but the smile that broke out over her face softened his self criticism. She knew he was stunned.

"…Yeah… I'm pretty sure I do."

He leaned in close then again, eyes half closed from wanting to just sleep, holding her there, let the world pass away.

"…I love you."

She smiled then, against his lips as she kissed him, just slightly.

"…I thought you might."

"It's hard not to."

"…really?"

He kissed her, hard, dragging a moan from her throat by the intensity of his touch, her hands tightening around his shirt as she tripped mentally over the sensation, dazed by it.

"…really." He panted, pulling back for a moment.

He really, really meant it.

"…Ino said I couldn't kiss." Hinata whispered, breathless too. "I'm going to have to get you to say something about that."

"Ino doesn't know up from down." He was smirking then, so close to a smile that she grinned right back, completely unaware of the fact that she was blushing still. It didn't matter.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

Sakura stared down at her lap, tracing the pattern on her skirt, her fingers looked cold and pale and slightly clammy, which was how they felt. Vaguely sticky, as if she had touched glue.

Somehow her skin had felt strange for some time… as if she was out of balance. She had read in a medical book that when your chakra flowed in accordance to your emotions, positive or negative it could affect your body.

Perhaps the negative gross feeling that was within her was affecting the sensation of her skin.

The sun however was bright and glowing in the middle of a bright blue sky. The sound of chattering children and the businesses that lined the streets flooded the air.

At the café she was sitting by there was the sound of murmuring youth, laughter, and the soft sound of cutlery against plates. But that didn't keep her attention fixated for very long, it faded to the back of her mind as she waited patiently, her crutches were leaning against the table.

Rough worked hands covered her eyes gently. "Hey." He said, because he knew there was no fooling her, and no use in trying to. Sakura felt a genuine smile grace her face for a few seconds.

"Hi, Naruto-kun."

The blonde smirked slightly and sat down across from her, bandaged up himself, but quite a bit less than the others. Like most of the Rookie Nine he had taken a nasty beating, his body should have taken about a month to recover. At two weeks he had been ready to go on missions again.

"How are you?" he asked, looking at her seriously, despite his playful nature. There was no fooling around with the situation at hand. It had been a long time already since their fight, but the effects had not faded completely. Though, it helped that Hinata had woken and begun to heal quickly, surprising everyone. He hadn't gone to see her in some time, but he had heard from Ino that she was recovering quickly and would be released sometime that week. He did have to talk to her as well… there were some things they had to discuss.

"…better." Sakura admitted, looking at him slowly, shifting in her seat. "I just wanted to talk to you, about something." She admitted, tracing her finger over the pattern of her skirt again, staring down intensely.

The blonde remained silent, watching her curiously, a bit puzzled. It wasn't like Sakura to be quiet, but then again everyone had been acting so strangely, most of his friends were still at the clinic recovering from the wounds they had endured, and those that weren't were at home pulling themselves together.

Sasuke had all but become a ghost. Naruto visited from time to time to make sure he wasn't dead….

"Ne… you know you can tell me anything." He laughed nervously, blinking at her still. "It's just me."

The med nin glanced up at him then, smiling slightly despite herself. "Hai." She nodded.

Taking a deep breath she rested her hands on the table, loosening them forcefully.

"…You know, I told you, about Hinata-chan being in love with you for the longest time, right?" she began slowly, fiddling with nothing, watching her smooth manicured fingernails in front of her.

Naruto flinched, looking sideways at the ground. "You might have been wrong." He admitted gloomily, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sakura began to laugh then, a soft nervous laugh that stated she knew he was wrong. He glanced up at her warily, confused.

"No, she was in love with you, for the longest time. Now… I don't actually know what's going on." She sighed, rubbing at her eyes slightly, the sun felt too bright, exposing her to his blue eyed gaze.

"What do you mean?" The blonde frowned, confused, not understanding.

"Ne…" she felt her throat begin to tighten, as if the pressure were ready to strangle her. "Ne… you think she doesn't love you anymore?"

"No. She doesn't." he replied quietly watching her blushing cheeks in confusion, a sinking feeling beginning at the very center of his chest.

"Oh." Sakura mumbled. "I… that does change things a bit…"

"I thought maybe I loved her back."

The words were so blunt, and so… out of character that Sakura looked up in surprise, staring wide eyed at the blonde, who was studying her with care she didn't even know he could muster.

"Y-you thought…." Sakura began, uncertain all of a sudden. She had known he was curious, perhaps attracted to the new suddenly powerful Hinata.

But she hadn't thought he was perhaps in love with her.

"D-demo, you…"

"Ne, I don't know anymore." He laughed, watching her confusion a bit worriedly.

"Well…" Sakura sighed, staring at her hands again. "…I just… Hinata and I haven't been…okay, for a long time now, because I told her a little while ago that I thought maybe I was- well… I just…" she sighed, rubbing her face again. "Well, we're better now, you know? I apologized for things I did… and Hinata being Hinata forgave me without a second thought…" she laughed, looking away, just about ready to cry, the knot in her throat tightening, ready to strangle her. "Demo... I…" she sighed, pressing her hands against the table hard.

"I thought maybe… I was in love with you too."

Naruto's mouth opened slightly, his shock clearly displayed in his wide eyed gaze.

"You thought…" he began, voice shaking.

This, certainly complicated matters.

* * *

Tenten looked silently out the window, biting her lip, flipping her pen in her hand the way she would have flicked a throwing knife, tossing it up and down absently, completely unaware of being watched.

Neji was sitting behind her, a book up to his face, pretending to be reading. It was hard though, when you had a beautiful girl sitting in front of you displaying without much care a seriously attractive ability without even realizing it.

He bit his lip and looked sideways, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Tenten was his friend, he'd known her for years. She was probably the only girl aside from Hanabi-chan and Hinata that he could withstand without wanting to strangle sooner or later.

Though, lately it had been himself he'd been wanting to strangle.

The idiocy of his actions was starting to sink into his slow witted mind. With Hinata's absence and her near death he'd had a lot of time to contemplate, sitting at the Hyuuga estate with nothing to do but read, write, study and 'think'.

He liked the last of the three the least.

More often than not it was Tenten who was with him, dividing her time between visiting the rest of the team at their homes or at the hospital, despite having had her ankle almost dislocated she managed to move about with ease and still visit everyone.

That was another amazing thing about her.

But usually, what amazed him the most, at least five times a day was her utter ability to put up with him. He wasn't as unpleasant as most people thought, at least with her and Lee.

However, he had his moments of arrogance, and sore snapping concerning the reality he faced. More than once he'd caught himself saying something less than comforting things to his friends when they struggled with their training.

It wasn't like him to take it back, so he didn't, and felt much like stepped on dirt as a result, because they never brought it up.

He didn't deserve them.

At that moment Tenten turned around in her chair with a sigh, blinking at him as she rested her head on her folded arms over the backrest, looking bored.

"…I can't study clan history for much longer, Neji-kun. My brain might melt."

The Hyuuga smirked slightly, forcing himself to look down at the book, glad that it was in the way of his mouth and that way she couldn't see the smirk there.

"You should go out with Lee, he's practicing taijutsu in the garden, you know." He replied, forcing himself to say it despite wanting her to stay right there.

Thankfully she laughed. "…I'd rather not. He says he goes easy but sometimes one of his 'easy' kicks knock me over." She grumbled. "I'm still nursing a bruise on my back from the last one."

"He should work on that."

"I think that's why he's training."

"Hn."

Tenten studied him, sitting almost slouched against the wall, cushions littering the entire room. It was a little strange sometimes, that she could hang out in his room without feeling completely out of place.

Maybe because it was so traditionally made, the rolled out sleeping mat and the closets and all the classical paintings that were hung up on the walls in neat rows didn't make it seem like a room.

He was too neat. That was his flaw. She looked around at the room, studying it suddenly. He was 'far' too neat.

"…you need some kind of poster in here." She stated suddenly, daring for a moment to break the silence and interrupt his studying. Something she only did when feeling particularly brave.

Neji looked up at her over the rim of his book again, quirking an eyebrow.

"My walls are lacking something?"

"Um… sort of."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Fun." She dared, sticking her tongue out at him sheepishly, unable to find another word to describe the feeling.

Neji smirked that time, allowing her to see it so that she wouldn't feel too bad. "You think the paintings are boring?"

"…please tell me you didn't pick them out yourself." She gave him a look, shifting in her chair to look at another one on the opposite wall. They were paintings from the classical era, smooth strokes of black paint against off white canvases detailing the day to day movement of palace life in some far off emperor's home.

It was so dull she might start to gag.

"Actually, I didn't." he admitted, glad that it was so. Though, truth be told, he hadn't been against them completely. He thought they were interesting.

"Oh good."

"What's wrong with them?" he enquired, putting the book down, suddenly curious. It was stupid that the Hyuugas were a clan so fixated on good etiquette, but born with the bothersome character flaw of utter curiosity. It got the better of him every time.

"Ano…" Tenten laughed. "Nothing is _wrong _with them…they're just kinda…" she shrugged, looking at them carefully.

"Boring." He put in, feeling the smirk tug at his lips again.

She laughed nervously, glancing at him.

"Hai."

"What do you have on your walls?" there was a note of cocky challenge in that question, making her turn to look at him fully again, raising an eyebrow to meet the challenge head on.

"Weapons."

She beat him flat out.

It made him start laughing. "That's more interesting, for sure." He admitted, chuckling. Grinning at her triumph of making him laugh, at least a little Tenten winked, pushing herself up. "I should think so."

Not wanting her to leave quite yet he threw out the one question he knew would keep her in place, thoughtlessly tossing it out like he didn't mind talking about it when he did… a lot.

"How's Hinata-hime?"

Tenten blinked, staring at him in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "Hinata? Ano… she's fine. Released from the hospital today, I think. Ino said something about that when I went to visit her the other day…"

She sat back down, watching him pick up the book silently, frowning with worry.

"Ne… Neji-kun… you haven't talked to her in a long time…"

Neji swallowed, recalling the last time he had seen her before the fight, flinching at the memory. He hadn't been able to tell anyone else about that. The idea of Hinata falling in love with the Uchiha of all people was frightening. Hiashi-sama would have a tantrum, there was no assurance that if she won the fight against Hanabi that he would let her be heiress again if she was with Sasuke.

The disagreement between the two clans far outreached his sense of history. When the Uchiha had split from the Hyuuga it hadn't been a simple event… there had been problems.

Prides were wounded, and the wounds had been handed down generation to generation. Now that the only Uchiha left was dragging the Hyuuga heiress with him, the old flames would come up again.

Hiashi might even ask Sasuke to fight him.

He sighed loudly at that, unsure of what to think. Hinata had seemed so much more powerful with Uchiha standing behind her… she had spat her emotions out and forced him to take it.

Something told him she'd choose Sasuke over the clan.

"What's the matter?" Tenten blinked, slipping off the chair to sit in front of him, dragging him out of his thoughts. He stared at her for a moment, pondering whether or not to say something.

But… Tenten was a girl, she knew about the girl side of things, maybe if he told her she'd be able to give him some input into the situation he would never find on his own.

Shrugging he sighed again.

"Ano…" he began, disgusted at himself for using the useless sound. "…last time I saw Hinata, she was with Uchiha." He muttered, watching Tenten paying close attention, frowning slightly.

"…I think she was going to kiss him."

Tenten froze, mouth opening slightly in surprise. Something about her shock relieved him. It wasn't so strange for him to be that startled, and slightly irritated, was it?

"Oh my…" she began slowly, putting a hand to her forehead. "…I'm such an idiot."

Neji blinked, confused. "Nani?" he began, unsure of how that came into the conversation. "I should have seen it…" Tenten continued, paying him little to no attention. "I absolutely should have seen it- she asked for him first." She turned to look at him.

"…she's in love with Sasuke." She stated, shaking her head. "I can't believe I didn't put two and two together-"

"When did you know this?" Neji snapped, sitting up, making her snap out of it. Tenten shrugged sheepishly. "… I noticed it a little at the first team meeting-"

"That long ago?" he gasped, looking dazed, staring out the window to the garden of the Hyuuga estate. He could see the distant green speck that was Lee.

"Does Sasuke feel the same?" Tenten murmured, looking at him worriedly. "What if he doesn't?"

"I don't know." Neji shrugged. "…I think he might."

"Wow." Tenten sighed, rubbing her face. "…I'm happy for her." She stated suddenly, turning to look at him, knowing full well what his reaction would be.

As expected he grimaced. "You don't get it. Uchiha and Hyuuga-"

"Don't mix. Yeah, I know that." Tenten mumbled, pulling on her bangs gently, looking away.

"…but what does Hinata care? The family disowned her."

The slap was forceful, making him stare at Tenten like she had suddenly discovered the very meaning of life.

It was true.

What did Hinata care? The family was treating her worse than garbage… why shouldn't he simply be happy for her? Even if she had chosen the most irritating bastard to be around?

"Neji-kun… maybe you should talk to her. I'm sure she misses you. She would want to know what you thought." Tenten murmured, watching the thoughts flying through his mind.

"…you're like her older brother. Hanabi can't talk to her, she's practically a prisoner here. Of all her family, you're the only one that she could reach." Her eyes softened slightly. "And I can tell you miss her too."

The boy genius glanced up at her, forcing his expression into something like calm. "Hm." He stated, as if surprised by her last statement.

Tenten smirked. "I've known you way too long not to be able to tell." She muttered, shoving herself to her feet, heading out the door that time.

"…ne… Tenten." Neji muttered suddenly, making her look back, holding the door open.

"Arigato."

The girl blushed, surprised by his intense stare. "…no problem." She meeped, closing the door quickly, making him smirk slightly.

_She looks cute when she's being shy…_

He froze, rubbing his face tiredly as a result of the thought.

_What in the hell is wrong with me? She's my friend, that's all… _

Grumbling he stood, picking up his book in the process, wondering when he would be able to talk to Hinata, his thoughts lingering on his cousin only for a moment before drifting in the direction of Tenten again.

Silently he cursed himself, knowing full well what he was struggling with. "Oh hell." He sighed, watching her walk over to Lee across the garden from his window.

If Lee bruised her again… he'd bruise him.

* * *

**_YAY no Hyuugacest here! _**

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**_I really felt I needed to address all three dominating couples, because, in all honesty, I hadn't given you guys enough fluff of late. _**

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**_So. There's the fluff. I hope you all sneeze. _**

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**_There's a lil more coming up… but then we're back to the real plotline and the final climax of Hinata vs. Hanabi! _**

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**_Please be gentle! _**

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**_Read. Review. _**

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**_-Inky _**


	27. Chp 9: Summer and Spring

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**_ I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…..gomengomengomengomengomengomegomen…. I feel so crappy! I didn't update for so LONG. I'm SORRY. ((sob)) Please don't hate me! _**

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**_And this chapter totally SUCKS too! Such a completely USELESS piece of junk. _**

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_**Guh… I was so busy, that I wrote like… two sentences whenever I had a moment to sit down… and I had to write it that way. I literally haven't been on the computer for longer than a few minutes at a time. I'm SO sorry about this…****L**** thank you so much for each review, please be gentle… this one really really sucks, I know it does… ugh. **_

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**_-ink _**

* * *

Hinata let out a long uncertain breath, looking seriously at the ground, cheeks red but from the strain of holding the complicated yoga position. Her right leg was crossed over her other thigh, her hands were above her head, pressed as if she were praying, and the leg she was standing on was bent so she was almost crouching, balanced only because of long years of training.

The black tank top under her mesh shirt was sticky with sweat, the glistening liquid sliding down her side, tickling the still sore flesh of her rapidly healing wound, making her flinch, wanting desperately to scratch, but she didn't move.

Sasuke walked around her, moving over the forest ground silently, she had to strain her ears past the sound of her heart's steady beating to hear his footfalls, he was so quiet.

He reminded her of a cat so much sometimes.

Dark eyes serious he studied her body, the generous curves and rippling muscle still feminine in her small body.

She had held the position for over forty-five minutes already, unmoving, blushing furiously at first as he circled, but after a time her eyes had closed and her breathing had slowed, and she had drifted far away from her body. He hadn't felt like she had left his side since she had left the hospital except for that single moment…

Her mind was so far away, it felt like she had left, and for a moment he was slightly forlorn, though he'd never admit it to himself let alone anyone else.

But once the half hour point had gone by the skin between her brows began to tighten, and the sweat began to glide down her pale skin slowly, tickling her flesh. Slowly she began to press her lips together and her eyes finally opened to stare down at the ground, focusing as best she could on not moving.

He could see the strain in her movements, however, and just how much she was struggling to keep it going. Her body was still regaining it's lost strength. Weeks of not training had left it rested, but out of shape slightly.

"That should be enough, Hinata." He murmured suddenly, breaking the stillness for the first time in over an hour. The girl before him lifted her eyes off the ground at him, and he noticed a difference in her gaze from what he saw normally.

There was pride there, pride that hadn't been there before. She still didn't move.

"I can keep going." She stated, her voice just slightly breathless, cheeks reddening a bit more.

Sasuke felt admiration tug at the corner of his mouth, making him want to smirk. "I know." He replied, waiting for her to make the choice on her own.

Frowning down at the ground again Hinata sighed, lowering herself from the position gracefully, like a dancer finishing a move that had been held on standstill.

Slowly she shifted her weight, stretching out her sore muscles. "…I have lost much of my strength." She whispered, sounding disappointed.

Sasuke crouched by a nearby tree, rummaging in their bags. "Healing does that."

"Summer is almost over." She added softly, walking over, her fingers moving through his hair absently, focused more on her thoughts than her movements.

Sasuke almost purred, licking his dry lips he straightened, awed slightly by just how easily she had adapted to fill his desire for touch without jeopardizing her honor…

He still craved for her… all the time, but his cravings were always satisfied with soft caresses and gentle kisses, more innocent than he was sure all the other kunoichi would have dared, and for that he was glad.

Unlike the rest… his body wasn't what she wanted.

"It's not even the end of July yet." He replied, passing her a water bottle silently, watching as she fiddled with it, her eyes still downcast.

It worried him… her belief in her improvement before her birthday was waning. He had to figure out a way to get her to believe it again….

"July 21st is close enough to the end of the month." Hinata sighed, swirling the contents in the bottle before taking a long drink.

Sasuke however wasn't paying attention, suddenly startled by her words.

_July 21st? It's July 21st already? _

A long string of curses followed and he ran a hand through his hair silently, looking up at the canopy of trees.

His birthday was in two days.

How many people were so dense as to forget their own birthdays?

"Sasuke?"

Startled he turned to look at her, studying her confused and slightly concerned expression. "Hm?" he enquired, taking the bottle from her hand and distracting himself by drinking.

Hinata blinked at him, puzzled. "You looked like you were thinking about something…" she cocked her head, watching him shrug, the tightness between his brows stating he was hiding something.

"Nothing important."

"Oh." The girl rubbed her arm confusedly, a little hurt that he had shut the door on her so sharply.

The truth was he didn't know how to say it. Somehow _Hey, Hinata, my birthday is in two days and you'll probably have assassination attacks from my fangirls… _didn't sound like a good idea.

"Let's go back, Sakura said she would look over your wound after training." He continued, trying to loose the old topic.

Hinata nodded, studying him still, a bit subdued by both his silence and the fact that her training was going so slowly. It was summer still, and therefore she had a few more months to get better, but technically she wasn't even supposed to be training.

It had only been about three weeks since she had left the hospital, and Tsunade would have a fit if she found out.

Almost as much a fit as Sasuke had had when he caught her doing push ups in the morning.

_The brush of the breeze caused by the opening door made her look up, sweat sliding down her nose as she went down and then back up, her arms burning from the motion, stopping at the pale and slightly startled expression on Sasuke's face. _

_"Good morning." She stated, looking back down at the marble, going back down, and then up… one handed. _

_"…what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, a rhetorical question, obviously, seeing as he knew perfectly well what she was doing. _

_Hinata blinked down at the marble as she pushed back up, switching hands. "Push ups." She stated, looking at him confusedly, going back down. _

_For a moment the Uchiha mouthed, much like a fish, unable to find the correct words to express what he was feeling. _

_Perhaps because he didn't actually know. _

_There was a mixture of discontent, admiration, worry, and panic all rolled into one. And to top it all off, he did 'not' want to snap at her sarcastically like he would anyone else. _

_Finally shutting his mouth, which had worked uselessly for a good few seconds without coming up with anything logical to say, he stated. "…I thought you weren't supposed to train." _

_The cute Hyuuga finally stopped working her body up and down and held the position, both hands on the ground, ignoring the tugging pain of her stitches being irritating against her side under the heavy black shirt she was wearing. _

_One of his shirts, he noted, as he studied her carefully. _

_"…Sounds like you." she blinked back innocently. _

_He might have believed she was being innocent if he hadn't seen that small almost invisible tug of her lips that looked almost like a smirk. _

_He wasn't sure which of the two things was stunning him the most. The fact that she had rendered him speechless and without a defense for his argument, or the fact that Hinata Hyuuga was smirking at him. Sweet, gentle, shy Hinata Hyuuga was actually 'smirking'. _

_Wasn't smirking an expression reserved particularly for the bad guys? _

_"Tch." He stated instead, resisting the urge to twitch… or smirk back. _

_Silently he watched as she began to push up and down again, paying him little attention, though he noted that she was blushing, fully aware of his eyes traveling over her body. _

_"…how long have you been training for?" he muttered, wondering how long she'd been able to wake up earlier than him to avoid exactly what they were going through right then. _

_"Since I got out." She said it so calmly, and yet sheepishly that he rolled his eyes behind her back, allowing himself the movement while she wasn't watching. _

_"You should start with yoga first." _

_She stopped again, turning over to look at him, stretching out her arms, blinking. _

_"Are you going to show me?" _

_"You're asking me to train you. Again?" _

_Hinata smiled, red cheeked. "Hai." _

_"You realize this time Tsunade might kill me for it." That time he sighed, leaning his head against the door frame of the foyer in which she had chosen to train. Oddly enough that was where he warmed up as well. _

_The Hyuuga heiress shook her head. "She would not!" _

_"Hn." He said it disbelievingly. _

_"She wouldn't. Really." She tried again, cocking her head, rubbing her face with her sleeve- actually his sleeve, seeing as it was his shirt. _

_"She's just looking for a reason to rid of me in the first place." He grumbled, disagreeing with her completely, shifting his weight. _

_Hinata laughed, pushing herself to her feet fluidly, ignoring the tug of the stitches against her skin, refusing to flinch. _

_"She really wouldn't." _

_He looked at her thoughtfully, feeling like she knew something he didn't. "Why not?" _

_Hinata stopped, right in front of him, eyes sliding smoothly to the floor, blushing furiously. _

_Quietly she mumbled something he couldn't hear, making him lean in, just the excuse of coming into her space enough to draw him in. _

_"Hn?" he enquired softly, already beginning to daze from breathing in her very essence. _

_"…because…I like you, and…she w-wouldn't…because…I w-wouldn't l-let her." Hinata repeated carefully, feeling the blood rushing to her face. _

_Sasuke Uchiha did not 'aww' about things. He didn't admit when he thought things were cute- if he ever did, which was rare in itself. _

_He did _not _admit it. _

Awww. _Yep, he thought it. _

_"…you're so amazingly… cute." He grumbled almost, drawing her into a hug, nuzzling her neck, blushing furiously. Hinata giggled, amused by his hesitance to say the word. _

_"…is this how you throw a fit?" Hinata enquired, tickling the delicate spot under his jaw with her lips, making his hands tighten around her slightly. _

_"…pretty much." _

"…how is Naruto-kun?" she enquired, following as he started out of the forest slowly, waiting for her to catch up to his pace.

"What do you mean?"

"…ano… Since Sakura-chan talked to him a few weeks ago…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, finding it easier each day to express himself in front of her.

"Is he okay? He seemed quite upset last time I saw him…" Hinata admitted, remembering the blonde smiling weakly at her at the door of their new house, asking for Sasuke with few words.

Sasuke had gone out with him to have a drink, something Hinata had been slightly wary of, remembering the last time he had drank anything, however he returned relatively sober, and frowning.

Upon enquiry he had explained Sakura's sudden confession and Naruto's equally sudden need to get out of the village. He'd taken his sannin-sensei and left the next morning.

"To think." Sasuke had explained, sounding vaguely sarcastic. "He's been in love with Sakura since they were twelve, I don't understand what he needs to think about."

Hinata had blinked at him, pondering whether or not to tell him about how he had been acting around her before the Chuunin exams. Deciding against it, for the time being, she had said nothing, only sat there frowning.

Sasuke had studied her with care, well aware of Naruto's wavering affection for Hinata and also her childhood crush on the would-be Hokage.

But she said nothing, and didn't seem particularly disturbed by the situation, aside from her usual worries.

"I think he said he would be returning some time this week, from what I understood in the letter he sent."

"He has been gone for a long time." Hinata admitted, putting a hand on her side lightly, frustrated by the handicap that the wound forced on her. Sasuke noted the movement, but her expression did not change and so he ignored it, attempting to give her the respect she deserved as a fully capable shinobi.

"Sakura-chan has been very gloomy." Hinata sighed softly, running a hand through her hair. "I miss her cheerful self."

Sasuke didn't reply, he didn't miss the cheerful Sakura, she was too loud. Though, it had been rather dull having her over once or twice and seeing Hinata fidgeting worriedly at Sakura's soft voice and obviously gloomy expression.

The Hyuuga heiress didn't seem disturbed by his silence, but continued to follow as they stepped back onto the marked road heading back to the village, glancing up at the sky to check the time.

It was perhaps an hour before noon. Any other day without a wound she would have continued training another three hours before stopping.

Something about that was disturbingly saddening.

As if catching on to her mood Sasuke glanced over at her a moment, watching her hair dance with each step, flowing backwards at the touch of a summer breeze. She had gained some color over the last few weeks from being in the sun. It brought out the hugeness of her eyes, and outlined her lips.

If it was possible, she was more gorgeous than when he had first met her, and even then, without any attachments he had been surprised by how pretty she was, how he hadn't noticed her before.

He wasn't one to ask very often, or care about someone, but his tongue seemed to loosen sufficiently enough to enquire, despite being vaguely uncomfortable with the situation.

"…are you okay?"

The girl startled out of her thoughts, turned to look at him, blinking. "Mm… ano… hai." She nodded, smiling weakly.

"Just… thinking about what you told me once."

Sasuke started, surprised. "Hn."

"…you told me, that I should try to win my heiress title for myself." She smiled weakly again, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "…ano… now that I want it, I don't think I can do it."

"You have nearly four months to improve, Hinata." Sasuke frowned, worried. If she didn't believe it herself, it was a lot less likely that her body would follow her commands… and against someone like Hanabi, whom he had been told would train without stopping through the day… she needed her mind to be stronger.

Stronger.

This whole time, it was all about getting stronger.

"It took five for me to get to the level I was when I faced your brother." She whispered softly, explaining the logic of her thoughts. "And that was when I was healthy…"

It was true… things would be difficult.

* * *

Sakura sighed, feeling a headache coming on at the powerful cries from the children around. The babes had been sobbing continually for over an hour, despite her best attempts to shush them. Something about that made her nervous. If ever she wanted to have children she hoped it wasn't as bad as what she was experiencing.

Though, seeing the way things were going any man she ever fell for would turn her away, most likely for Hinata.

The thought made her stop, looking sadly on at the face of the baby in her arms, and his tear filled blue eyes that reminded her so much of Naruto's own blazing gaze.

He had been gone for weeks, and as a result she hadn't been able to sleep. His look of shocked disbelief at her words weeks earlier had rendered her speechless, wishing she could take it back…

He didn't want to hear about her affections, apparently.

Sighing heavily she put the baby back down, struggling not to start crying herself, rubbing her face slowly in an attempt to calm herself.

The door opened and she almost burst into tears again in relief. "Oh thank God, Toki-chan… I can't handle it anymore." She whispered, rubbing at her tears, thinking it was the nurse that stood there.

Slowly she turned and froze at the sight of Naruto, standing with his back against the door, watching her silently.

The sight of him was so startling that she froze, looking back at his impassive expression in complete awe, like a deer caught in the headlights she shifted slightly, licking her dry lips nervously.

"N-naruto-kun." She began, clearing her throat as her voice caught, watching his blue eyes travel over her face so calmly it was unnerving.

The silence stretched out for a long endless moment, making her flinch visibly. "…when did you-" she began and then started as he pushed away from the wall and walked towards her silently, looking down at his headband in his hand, fiddling with it, his expression so disturbingly serious that she couldn't see how what he was going to say was good news.

_Not again… please not again… I can't take another no… _

He stopped in front of her, still looking down.

"Sakura-chan." He sighed, frowning down at his worn fingers fiddling with the metal in his hands. "…Gomen…"

Sakura closed her eyes, feeling the tears starting to fight their way out, spilling down her cheeks despite her best intentions. How was it possible that a single word could shatter her whole world? Again, again she was being told to vanish, to bloody well go away…

She didn't think she could speak but she tried, looking down sharply. "…ne… ne, I- ano… I understand-" she began, her voice shaking.

But his hands were suddenly taking her chin, forcing her to look up at him, with his slightly weakened but all too familiar half grin.

"No you don't."

He said it so firmly that she thought for a moment he was teasing, trying to get her to stop crying. Angrily she bit her lip. "What are you talking about? I'm fine, damn it-" she gasped, startled promptly by his lips crashing into hers, forcing her to shut the hell up in a way no else could quite manage.

Like hitting a solid brick wall she stood there, letting him kiss her, unable to reply. He pulled back, studying her face hesitantly, well aware that she hadn't responded. "…I left, I didn't know what to do- you confused me…" he began.

Sakura shook her head. "Shut the hell up." She muttered, forcing him into another kiss, unaware of just how broad his smirk was at her reaction.

There was desperate need there, but on his part there was hesitance, a sort of boundary line being set up by his pulling back gently, despite wishing desperately to keep exploring the warmth of her mouth.

"Ne…" Sakura muttered, completely comfortable with her arms around his neck, somehow it felt natural, as if she'd imagined it so often her body knew exactly how to fit itself around him. "…why did you come back now?"

"…because I made up my mind." Naruto admitted, nuzzling her neck, forcing himself not to think about the many naughty things he wished he could do to her.

"And it's Sasuke's birthday in like… two days."

Sakura's eyes widened at his words, pulling back to stare at him. It was a strange topic to be talking about right after having kissed him, but somehow it felt disturbingly natural too.

"…I forgot."

Naruto couldn't help flashing her his goofy grin. "I guess you 'do' love me then!"

Green eyes narrowing slightly, Sakura leaned in, her nose bumping against his. "I don't lie."

"…I…I'm not your second choice, am I?" Naruto studied her silently; making her draw back again to look at him, studying his face, realizing suddenly what it was that had made him hesitate so much.

"…am I yours?" she replied softly, remembering Hinata… her sudden power, her sudden grace… his sudden attraction.

Naruto blinked at her. "What…? No…I've been crushing on you since-"

"We were twelve, yeah I know." Sakura wrinkled her nose slightly, remembering in a tidal wave of flashbacks the many instances he had looked at her with a softened expression, blue eyes glittering with something that had made her stomach have butterflies and do flips. She hadn't ever understood it.

Now she did.

"No, you're my better choice." She admitted, turning to look back at him, staring right back into those clear blue eyes, raw honesty drawing another sheepish smile from the blonde.

"Okay then…" he smirked. "Can I kiss you again?"

"…you're such a goof." She mumbled, brushing her lips against his, feeling the deliciously slow movement accurately. "…you shouldn't even bother asking…"

* * *

"Sasuke's birthday is tomorrow?" Ino gasped, nearly falling off her chair, seeing as she had begun to lower herself onto it only to hear Sakura's words.

The café owners only sighed from their place behind the counter; shaking their heads as the loud blonde patron they knew so well drew the attention of several onlookers.

"Hai." Sakura smirked, bright eyed and blushing, looking much like she was completely and utterly in love, which Ino knew at that moment she was.

Seeing as she was sitting on Naruto's lap, for crying out loud. Resisting the urge to roll her blue eyes the other blonde settled down finally in front of them, licking her lips deviously, tapping her manicured nails on the table.

They looked like an escaped trio from the hospital. Sakura's leg was still broken, something that had not healed and probably wouldn't for another few weeks, and Ino was still bandaged all over. The only one with no bandages was Naruto, though he did have wraps around his neck and shoulder. Some freak accident with his slightly perverted sensei had rendered the muscles around his shoulder almost useless during training.

"How the heck did I forget? That day used to be like… bigger than Christmas in my book." Ino grumbled, tapping her fingers on the table again. "It's weird."

"You're telling me." Naruto grunted. "I hear he's lost half his fan club too, by the way. Shino's getting a lot of attention though."

Ino flinched, recalling her little slip up at the hospital a few weeks back. "Eh… where did you hear that?"

Sakura and Naruto blinked back at her, puzzled slightly. "…just word of mouth. Some vendor mentioned girls were wearing chibi-shino bracelets."

Relaxing again the kunoichi grinned feebly. "Oh, how sad."

Cocking an eyebrow Sakura rolled her eyes. "Forget that, we'll find out what you're hiding later. But now, about Sasuke's birthday-"

"Well, I don't know if we should even do anything." Ino interrupted suddenly, making the couple stare at her again dumbly. Either Naruto's stupidity was rubbing off on Sakura or Sakura's thick headedness was rubbing off on Naruto.

Both, was more likely.

"Why not?" they stated in unison. Ino smirked, realizing suddenly that they knew nothing of the current standing between the aloof Uchiha and the Hyuuga heiress.

"Nooothing." She sang smugly, glancing around to see if there was anyone to flirt with. Being one of the only single kunoichi was hard sometimes.

The café had returned to it's normal cycle of ignoring the loud mouths in the corner and so she studied the people, waiting for the two shinobi in front of her to start asking questions.

Very happily the two complied.

"Why not?"

"We've been celebrating his birthday for years-"

"He's 'got' to have a party, it's his nineteenth birthday!"

"Hey- I need another reason to get him drunk-"

"Ino- what the hell?" Sakura finally snapped, banging her hand on the table to draw the attention of the girl in front of her. Blinking mildly Ino finally turned to look at them, smirking.

"Weeeell." She sighed, tossing her hair this way and that, all too amused. "Maybe Hinata wants some time alone with him on his birthday… if you catch my drift."

Naruto stared blankly back at her, confused, while Sakura frowned, thinking hard.

Slowly her eyes widened into huge shocked glittering green orbs.

"….WHAT?!"

The reaction made Naruto start slightly, watching the two girls exchange knowing looks. "The hell… what are you talking about?"

"Since _when_ do they spend time alone like _that?_" Sakura gasped, nearly standing. Naruto's hands grabbed her around the waist, dragging her back down. "Okay, someone bloody well tell me what's going on… or I'll… do something." He grumbled lamely. Sighing Sakura leaned into him, whispering something in his ear that made him freeze.

"What?! No way!"

Ino shrugged. "Maybe."

"But you don't know for sure, has she talked to you about it?" Sakura began, rushing to find answers. Now that she thought back on it there were signs everywhere. They had been extremely comfortable around each other's personal space when she had visited them at their new house a few weeks ago, and the day before when she had examined Hinata's wound after their training session they had been so comfortably silent that Sakura had begun to feel out of place…

"I dunno… maybe we should just plain ask." Ino grinned evilly, matching Sakura's evil expression with ease. Naruto on the other hand might as well have had a halo over his head. "Oh… wait a second, Sasuke's not like that-"

"Aw, come on. The ice-brick could use some teasing." Ino grumbled. "I just need to find out the juicy details from Hinata-chan first!"

"Knowing Hinata there might not be any juicy details." Naruto retorted, feeling that protectiveness he got when someone was being a little threatening to his friends.

"How about this then…" Sakura began. "We snatch Hinata away for coffee, so we can talk to her about his birthday and see what she plans to do and if she needs any help. You can drag Sasuke away and ask him about Hinata." She continued, turning to look at Naruto, who paled slightly.

"Aw… I dunno, Sasuke can be a hard nut to crack…"

"You like crushing things." Sakura teased, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. Giving her a slightly comically half glare Naruto sighed. "Fiiine."

"It's the face, isn't it." Ino grunted, vaguely jealous of their obviously flourishing relationship. "That face she made, that's your weakness."

Before Naruto could answer Sakura was smirking, cuddling into his embrace all too perfectly. "Of course it is."

"Ball and chain, that's all I gotta say." Ino stated slyly, flashing Sakura a smirk as she began to stand up and gather her things.

"Oh shut up, you're single for a reason, blondie!" Sakura grunted, grabbing onto her crutches and starting to pull herself up as well.

"Are you sure you're gonna be able to make it all the way to their house?" Naruto muttered, eyeing her broken leg with distaste. He had half a mind to pick her up when she laughed. "I'll be fine. We'll take Hinata out, then you can get Sasuke after you're finished your business with the Hokage, ne?"

The blonde shrugged. For some reason there was a feeling that he had grown rapidly over the last few months, as if it had aged him… and everyone else.

"Sure thing." He stood, planting a ridiculously sweet kiss on her lips before turning around and giving them both a wave. "I'll see you later then!"

"Bye…" Sakura swooned, while Ino pretended to gag behind her.

"You two are so lovey-dovey it makes me sick."

"You're so sick you're green with envy, blondie." Sakura grinned back, starting their long slow process towards Sasuke's (and now Hinata's) house.

"I just hope they're not as bad." Ino grumbled. "You four will be intolerable to be around if they are."

Sakura began to laugh, trying to imagine Sasuke being as affectionate.

"I really… really don't think so."

Ino was silent for a moment, following her train of thought.

"You're right. How unlikely. Hinata is pretty much Virgin Mary too."

"How sad."

"How very sad indeed."

* * *

Ironically enough, sadness was the last thing on Hinata's mind. Biting her lip to try and keep from giggling too much she glanced back over her shoulder at Sasuke, who had come up behind her, hands wrapping around her waist, sliding across the strip of bare flesh that was exposed because of how short her shirt was.

"…you're too tempting." He grumbled, nuzzling her neck and shoulder, lips trailing across the warm skin smoothly, leaving tickling flames to dance across it and down her back, sending shivers all over.

"…I'm sorry…"

"I'm not, that's the problem." He was smirking, she could hear it in his voice as he nibbled her earlobe, forcing her to swallow the urge to turn around and face him, kiss him just as hard as she wanted to unlike every other time she had kissed him so far.

But there were tomatoes frying on the pan in front of her and she couldn't just abandon the poor things (or so she told herself) so she continued to slide them around the greased pan, fingers shaking as she tried not to sigh too much or too loudly…

"T-they're a-almost d-done." She stammered, feeling his fingers trail up her arms, sliding across her flesh, forcing her to close her eyes for a moment.

_Control yourself, Hinata… control yourself… _

"I don't really care." He whispered suddenly, making more goosebumps rise across her flesh at the warm breath that caressed her neck.

_…Oh god… if he doesn't stop soon I'm going to- _

There was a sharp knock on the door, and the sound of giggling from outside, they could hear the sound traveling from the porch to the kitchen window that wrapped around the corner of the house.

A word that was less than pleasant slipped out of Sasuke's mouth, making Hinata start giggling. Smiling broadly and oh so utterly glad that she had something to do she reached up and kissed him quickly, pointing at the tomatoes on the pan. "Watch those for me!"

"Right." He sighed, leaning against the counter, wrinkling his nose in a way that made her stop at the doorway, the expression so much like a panther cub that she began to giggle again, blushing furiously but much too comfortable to care.

"You're too cute."

Before he could reply she ran out the door, heading towards the entrance, leaving him blinking after her, cheeks reddening rapidly, tomatoes forgotten completely.

_…She thinks I'm cute! _

At the door Hinata straightened out her blouse quickly, running her fingers through her hair before unlocking it and opening it quietly, blinking out in the summer day sun.

"Oh!" she started at the sight of Sakura and Ino, who were grinning broadly. "Hinata!"

The change in Sakura's chakra was so obvious that the young Hyuuga could see it the moment her eyes landed on her. Pink cheeked, smiling, eyes glittering and looking happier than usual the pink haired kunoichi grabbed her into a hug, almost falling over as her crutches tangled.

"Ah!" the giggling fit that took over her made Hinata start as she steadied her friend. "Nani- Sakura-chan, Ino-chan… what are you-"

"We've come to kidnap you for a bit!" Ino cried, wagging her finger at her. "And you've no way of saying no."

Sakura straightened finally, flashing her a grin. "We haven't hung out together as friends in what seems a lifetime! You've got to come out with us, just for coffee, ne?"

Hinata stared back at their random expression with a puzzled one of her own, hesitant to comply.

"Ano.." she began, wishing she could slam the door and turn around without a care. Sasuke was waiting and she didn't really want to go out…

But the temptation was so viciously blunt… maybe going out wasn't such a bad idea…

"Demo…" she began, despite thinking it was a better idea to go out.

Ino jumped at the word, shaking her head hard. "No way out! Where's your boy-toy anyway?"

Hinata colored so quickly it was like a night and day transition in two seconds. "Nani!?" she squeaked. The nickname was so randomly flung out that it stung. If Sasuke heard that…

"Boy-toy?" Sakura began to laugh suddenly, nearly falling over in her giggling again.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino shouted into the house. Hinata flinched, moving to stand in her way. "Ino-chan… I really d-don't think t-that-"

"We're kidnapping Hinata!"

Reluctantly Sasuke stepped out into the foyer, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. Hinata flinched, looking wide eyed at the ground, waiting for the verdict.

"Hn." He said.

Mentally she translated the question, forcing herself to look up at him, her shoulders shrugging, that uncomfortable odd motion he noted she could never really pull off.

"Fine." He shrugged back, sounding bored.

"One second!" Hinata called to the two girls, running back inside, leaving her two friends standing at the door blinking. Sasuke looked back at them for a long minute then turned around and followed Hinata back inside, grumbling mentally about people and their general annoyances.

Once inside the kitchen he did as he usually did and leaned against the doorframe, looking at her scooping the tomatoes out of the pan and slipping them onto a plate, seasoning them so quickly and efficiently that he smirked behind her, forgetting for a moment that she was about to leave.

It was probably the first time she had left the house without him since she had come back. He'd been so focused on having her around that he hadn't done anything on his own really... except for slept.

And that was only sometimes, once or twice they had fallen asleep on the couch together. Innocently.

Mostly.

"Here. I won't go for very long, I just don't feel like it, really." Hinata muttered, sighing softly and putting the plate on the table.

"They just haven't seen me in so long and I-"

"It's okay." he smirked at her again, watching her fidgeting nervously.

"...No." she grumbled, blushing as he walked over and fiddled with her hair gently. "Not really. I kind of don't want to go."

"Then don't."

"But I kind of do."

"That may be an issue." he was smirking again, tracing his fingers over her neck, up along her jaw making her close her eyes.

"...you're making me want to stay more..." she sounded dreamy, as though she wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

But her words made his cheeks begin to warm, although he was enjoying it way too much to care. "I know." his voice was smug.

Sighing she reached up to land a soft kiss on his lips before grinning shyly and moving away.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"Hn." he reached up, ruffling his own hair in that odd manner of his. Hinata grinned at him again and then stepped backwards, heading out the door, hands clasped behind her back. "Okay... I'm going now."

"I know." he watched, resisting the urge to snatch her back from the doorway.

"I'll be back later."

"Hai."

"I'll be home to make dinner."

"Mhm."

"I love you..."

Sasuke stopped, looking up at her, gracing her with a smile for a moment. "You're lingering."

Hinata grinned back, bubbly with the sight of him actually smiling.

"Bye!" she turned, slipping out from the kitchen back into the foyer, smiling and blushing and altogether too happy for Ino and Sakura, who were waiting impatiently, not to note.

"What's with the sudden grin?" Ino enquired, eyeing her thoughtfully. Hinata skipped down the steps, reaching them quickly, closing the door behind her before either of them could glance inside curiously.

"What grin?" she grinned, walking out into the bright summer's day happily, all too bubbly to really care what they had hidden in their sleeve.

Sakura and Ino exchanged knowing devious looks.

"All right, let's go for coffee." Sakura nodded, twirling one of her crutches absently. "We need to 'talk'."

Hinata shrugged, completely unaware of the tone of voice she had used for the word 'talk'.

"Okay."

Ino rolled her eyes.

_And here I thought they were the sane couple... _

* * *

"Old Lady Tsunade." Naruto smirked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry about not coming sooner and all that... I was kind of busy-'

"Catching up with your girlfriend and my pupil I suppose?" Tsunade grumbled, signing a document violently and tossing it onto a growing pile on her desk.

"Sort of." Naruto admitted, blushing despite himself.

"It's because of the summer. Summer and Spring, the youth go insane." Tsunade continued to grumble, siging something else without even glancing at it. She might have been siging away the life of someone but at that moment the blonde Hokage didn't really give a damn.

Then again she never 'really' did give a damn.

"I'm assuming you went away to learn some sort of powerful technique that is going to be used to help the village. Hmmm?" she enquired, looking up at him, daring him to contradict.

For a moment Naruto felt much like he might have to lie, seeing as the look she was giving him was much like the look some sort of queen with the will to chop off his head would have.

"Ano..." he began sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head again. "I... well, not really... Mainly... I just-"

"You LEFT for weeks!" Tsunade snapped, standing up, chair flinging back loudly at her movement. "Because you couldn't figure out whether you like Sakura or not?!" The Hokage's hair was waving around her face, chrakra so powerfully present that it felt like he was suffocating slightly. Blinking in the sudden image of her fury, which made her look very demonic indeed he stepped back.

"Ne, ne... I did train, you know-"

"You've been in love with the girl for YEARS! You insufferable fool." Randomly she grabbed a book and chucked it at him, making the other blonde duck.

"GOMEN! But stop throwing things at me, what the hell-"

"Stupid stupid stupid!" Tsunade continued, ranting without listening at all.

Naruto dodged another book and what might have been a fork, though it flew by too fast for him to really see.

"I 'needed' you to take missions- I had to send out some of the students from the academy for crying out loud!"

"Well I'm sorry!"

"That's not good enough!" she threw something else, an apple, it looked like, the sound of it smashing against the wall louder than he had thought it would be.

Grinning like a chesire cat Naruto sighed, straightening himself out, amused despite it all by her loud antics.

"I came back though, didn't I?"

"I almost wish you hadn't!"

"Almost." he laughed goofily, making Tsunade sigh, putting a hand on her forehead. "I think I've got a headache."

"What did you want me for anyway?"

"Shut up, Naruto and let me think."

Sighing loudly the blonde sat down right there on the ground, rolling his eyes. "Fiiine."

"Fine, so now that I know all you did was waste your time and MY time while you were gone we can move on to other more important things." Tsunade sighed softly, rubbing between her brows.

"I want to know exactly what the hell happened during the Chuunin examination. The council has been very lenient when it comes to letting you all off without some sort of deep examination, though, Uchiha Sasuke has been under constant surveillance since the incident."

Naruto stared, suddenly drawn into the conversation fully. "Sasuke is being spied on?" he began, and then flinched, realizing that meant that Hinata…

"Yes. Anbu has been kind enough to let me know the situation between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga have come to a sudden surprising twist." She looked at him evenly, waiting for his reaction, which came quickly.

"Well…. Uh… you see…" Naruto began, hesitating, realizing quite quickly why she was so angry about all the relationships. Of all the bothersome ones Hinata and Sasuke was probably the worst. The two clans had hated each other for so long, and as if to top it all off, Hinata had been disowned with only once chance to regain her rightful title, which might be questioned further if she was with Sasuke- BUT that was on all of it, the cherry on top of the giant chaotic sundae of trouble was that Sasuke was a suspect in the attack on Konoha, all because he was still not fully trusted by the village for having run away.

Naruto's brain nearly melted into a puddle of more useless goo as he processed all this information, rubbing his face. Sighing loudly he rolled back to his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets, bothered. "Dattebayo." He stated, looking at Tsunade with suddenly tired eyes.

"What the heck do you want me to do about it?"

Tsunade laughed, this time looking almost happy about his question. "Well at least you asked politely. But no, I don't want anything from you directly. There has to be a few changes in the circumstance, however." She sighed. "I need to find out what happened during the examination with solid proof from Hinata so that the council leaves Sasuke alone. That's necessary because I think they need to stay together."

Naruto stared.

"You 'want' them to stay together…?"

Tsunade scoffed. "You think I'd be cruel enough to break them apart?"

The blank blue stare she received forced her to twitch, irritated by his expression. "I am NOT that evil."

"Whatever." Naruto grumbled, hesitant to acknowledge that.

"Hinata… is important to me." Tsunade finally sighed, looking at him seriously for the first time during the entire meeting. "I want her to be happy…. I haven't seen her smile so much before. If Sasuke does that I'm willing to let them be, but her father will not be so lenient. I need to have anything against Sasuke cleared of all suspicion so that when she wins the fight against her sister he won't have more of a load to atone for."

"Wait…" Naruto muttered, rubbing his head tiredly, already getting a headache from thinking so much. "Won't she have to live with her family if she wins the title back? She's going to be of age to take over the household by the time she's nineteen, no?"

"Hai." Tsunade sighed, plopping down on her chair, which she had picked up from having thrown it sometime before. "I just want to give her a choice in the matter."

"Tch." Naruto mumbled, shrugging. "I'll find out what I can, but… I'm no spy."

'I don't care how you do it. I have all the spies I need. I just need information. Be blunt if you have to." Tsunade studied him thoughtfully, the way he stood, the way he looked intensely at his hands, his shoulders straight…

"You've all grown very much.' She muttered suddenly, drawing his attention back with the soft tone. "I'm glad you're all here."

Naruto blinked, startled by her heartfelt words. "Oh…" he began, then began to laugh a little nervously. "Aw, I knew you loved me."

"Don't get cheeky." Tsunade grumped, throwing a book again absently. "Now get out."

"Yes ma'am." He laughed sarcastically, ducking as the book flew past before slipping out the door.

* * *

"How are you then, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked, patting the girl on the head gently, the affectionate touch making Hinata smile sheepishly. "Good, how about you, Sakura-chan?"

"Aside from the broken leg?" the pink haired med-nin asked, letting out a laugh as she struggled to settle down on the chair at the coffee shop.

It was well past midday, soon the sun would start to go down and the sky would be painted with the purples and oranges of the sunset. But at that moment only the birds flicking past and the sound of laughing children down the street at the playground could be heard. Hinata looked on directly across from the coffee shop patio where the three of them were sitting at the bench that lined the road.

She remembered sitting there months ago, waiting for Sakura to arrive for the lunch they were going to take…. She had bumped into Sasuke that same day, by accident stepping into his personal space.

The cold hurt sensation that his energy had left on her skin had made her curious, but she had dismissed the thought. He wanted nothing to do with anyone…

How odd that a few days later he found her and carried her home.

"I have something to tell you." Sakura said, in a more serious tone as she finally settled down. Ino glanced at them as she waved a waiter over, eyeing him with obviously interested blue eyes. "All right, I'm going to go order, when I'm back you'd better be done your little chat, because I want to talk about more interesting things." She added, giving them both a stern look before standing and meeting the waiter half way, beginning to flirt the moment she stood.

Hinata shook her head in amusement, blushing slightly because of just how much power Ino had over the good looking but shy young man.

"What is it?" she stated, while still watching Ino. Finally she turned to look at Sakura, blinking her lavender eyes calmly.

Sakura was studying her hands again, playing with her own fingers and imagining Naruto tracing the lines there the other day, smiling when she giggled as his fingers tickled the soft flesh.

"…I told Naruto." She stated bluntly, turning to look up at her, smiling a bit weakly, unsure of how that was going to go down. Just because she was with Sasuke didn't mean it wasn't an awkward topic, or a sore one.

Hinata nodded, looking unconcerned. "Is that why he left?"

"Yes- he's back now." Sakura added, rubbing her neck, in a fashion that Hinata had seen Naruto do as well.

"Oh?" Hinata frowned slightly, a bit hurt. "He has not come to visit either Sasuke or I."

"He only arrived yesterday." Sakura admitted, studying her, watching for any signs of resentment. However there seemed to be none, only curious understanding.

Hinata stared back, confused by Sakura's own puzzled expression. 'Is everything okay, Sakura-chan?"

Finally the girl shook her head, surprised despite herself. Hinata had always proved to be the better person, but for some reason she had assume… somehow, that things would be awkward between them again.

Apparently not.

"No, actually." She smiled. "He kissed me."

Hinata's eyes widened and she nearly stood in her surprise, letting out a gasp. "Really! Oh, I'm so happy for you, Sakura-chan!" the small girl reached out and took her friends hands, vibrating with happy energy. "I'm so glad! I was so worried!"

Sakura just shook her head at her, vaguely amazed by the simple and honest joy in her friend's face. "You know something, Hinata" she smiled weakly. "I don't think I've ever told you just how amazing you are."

The Hyuuga started, surprised by the sudden compliment, blinking back at her friend confusedly before letting out a small laugh. "Oh… ano… a-arigato." She stuttered, coloring rapidly. Sakura grinned. "How about you though?"

"Me?" Hinata began, confused.

Coincidentally Ino returned, settling down on Hinata's other side, flashing her a smile that had already made the waiter swoon. "Yeah, how about 'you', ne?" she elbowed her cheekily.

It took a few seconds for the subject to finally be understood by the pale and innocent girl between them, but the results of knowing were far worse than she had anticipated. Rapidly her face colored over and she felt her knees begin to turn into jelly.

"N-n-nani?" she laughed nervously, attempting to lie and failing miserably.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh give me a break." Ino sighed loudly. "Sakura knows you're absolutely in love with him."

Hinata's eyes widened rapidly to stare at her friend. "Shss!" she gasped, looking around quickly.

"Did you know it's his birthday tomorrow?" Sakura added, ignoring her shushing them. That seemed to have the right reaction.

The color seemed to vanish from Hinata's face as she turned to look at her two friends, mouth open slightly in surprise. "Nani?" she breathed. "It's his birthday?"

"Yep." Ino nodded. "He gets to be in charge of the Uchiha estate from tomorrow on. He was rich before…" the smirk that lingered on her face expanded. "He's going to be the single richest man in the village tomorrow. The only fortune big enough to rival it is that of 'your' clan."

Hinata's eyes grew bigger, if possible.

"Why would he not tell me it was his birthday?"

Sakura began to laugh. "She doesn't give a damn about the money!"

Ino rolled her eyes, shoving her hair to the side. "That'd be our Hinata,"

"Demo! Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, you have to help me! Why wouldn't he tell me?" Hinata continued, truly flustered by the idea that he would hide something so special from her. She fiddled with her fingers, staring down at her nails which were a lot nicer looking than they had been a few months ago. No training meant not rips or cuts.

"Well, he's going to be attacked by a mob of rampaging fangirls." Ino pointed out, rolling her eyes.

Hinata looked up again, puzzled, rubbing between her brows to rid of the frown. "Ne, he said we were going to go out to the flower fields on the outskirts of the town tomorrow-"

"Aha! There you go- hey then… Is it true then?" Sakura began, leaning in to look at her carefully. "You love him?"

Hinata leaned back, looking startled and a little panicked. "Ano… ano, Sakura-chan-"

"Has he kissed you yet?" Ino asked too, leaning in just to scare her. The Hyuuga heiress melted into her chair, slouching there to get further away from her two friends.

"Ano… ano…"

"Well has he?"

"Yes, he has! Okay?"

There was a sudden silence all around, the other customers stopped to look back at the trio of cute girls who had frozen, two of them staring at one and the one almost slipping off the chair hiding her red face.

"He HAS?!?!" Ino and Sakura shouted, both of them flinging themselves to their feet. Ino bounded over to Hinata and hugged her, almost crying from laughing and being so happy. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! He kissed you! He kissed you!"

Sakura had her hands slammed over her mouth to contain the squeal of excitement from escaping.

"Has he said he loves you?" She finally asked, peeling Hinata's fingers from her face. The Hyuuga was so red she might as well have turned herself into a tomato. The thought of turning into a tomato however only made her want to laugh because Sasuke happened to like tomatoes anyway…

"…ano…hai."

The two kunoichi couldn't help themselves. They squealed loudly and further embarrassed the all too shy but happy Hyuuga.

* * *

**_They're so cute together that it's making me sick! Ugh. Xx too much fluff!_**

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**_((cough)) I think... I sound like Ino. _**

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**_that SUCKS._**

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**_Anyway, the story is OVER 300 pages long guys...I am impressed with myself, despite the crappiness of it, lol. I'll be updating soon now because I'm not half as busy as last week. _**

**_Read. Review!_**

**_-ink_**


	28. Fillerish3: Birthday Chaos

_**All right, well, I just wanted to get the birthday over and done with so that we could move on with the plot, so it's a shorter chapter than usual. I put some stuff in there with the plot that 'is' important, and I pointed out the obvious relationships that are gonna be important. **_

_**I haven't actually decided what's going to happen… lol, did I ever mention how I'm writing without a plot? **_

_**Lol, surprise!**_

_**Read. Review. **_

_**-ink

* * *

**_

Hinata had been secretive all day long, it was more unnerving than not being able to see an assassin.

He could hardly stand it, but somehow he managed to keep himself quiet, watching her vanishing from the house once in a while for moments of about fifteen minutes.

It wasn't surprising that she was being so secretive. It had begun early in the morning when she had stated quiet calmly that she didn't feel like going out to the fields in the outskirts of town.

He had flinched, but remained calm as well and said that was fine.

While mentally disagreeing.

_NO. No, it's NOT fine…fangirls are going to try to put you in a coma again- they're possibly worse than Itachi himself for god's sake-_

Still, he didn't say anything, he just watched her vanish and come back, making him nervous each time she took longer to return. She always did return though, as if nothing were the matter, and soon enough he began to get a frightening feeling. Perhaps she had found out about his birthday… and perhaps she was planning something…

The nerves that accompanied that thought surprised him, forcing the aloof Uchiha to examine his emotions. Uchiha Sasuke was not 'nervous' he was rarely even jittery.

It occurred to him then, while sitting in the living room pretending to read, that maybe he was… looking forward to whatever it was that she had secretively been planning.

Maybe, just maybe… he wanted to actually celebrate his birthday.

It was 2 pm when Hinata smiled sweetly at him from the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, blushing the way she always did when she was consciously thinking about him.

Curiously he looked up from this purposefully ignored book, blinking at her.

"Ne, Sasuke." She began hesitantly, rubbing one arm slightly. "Do you… do you want to go for a-a walk?"

The Uchiha felt blood rushing to his face at the possibility that whatever she was planning might come along during the walk.

Shrugging calmly he pushed himself up. "You're bored?"

Hinata blinked and blushing even harder nodded. "I need fresh air." She lied, hooking her arm behind her back.

"All right." He shrugged, allowing her to take his hand, they started out the door, slipping into the bright evening sun and blinking in the bright light. It was dark inside the house, despite the many walls lined with windows.

Hinata chattered on about the weather, stuttering more than she had in months.

Sasuke just watched her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know what was coming.

Not at all…

* * *

Sakura licked her lips nervously, shifting against the tree trunk behind her, binoculars pressed firmly to her face.

"Okay, Ino. I've got visual. The target is moving out of the compound heading west towards the training area."

The head piece hidden under her pink hair let out a small version of Ino's loud mouth voice. "Gotcha! Am I clear to enter the site?"

"…just about…" Sakura replied, watching Sasuke and Hinata vanish from sight. "We're clear! Get your team in there. I'm meeting Naruto in rendezvous point A, I'll be on site in about fifteen minutes, clear?"

"Crystal!" Ino replied, rushing forward at the confirmation from Sakura. Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Kiba and Akaramaru followed, slipping out of the bushes near Sasuke's front door, heading purposefully forward and into the house.

There was something nerve wrecking about breaking into Sasuke's house. Images of flying daggers, explosions and general chaotic death plagued the minds of all the team.

But for some reason the fear was deflated as soon as Ino crouched down and lifted up the mat at the front door to reveal a key which she used to get inside, giving them a weak grin. "Hinata told me about it." She explained, opening the door to the rather impressive foyer.

Slowly the team stepped in, equipped with bags of groceries, junk food, pop and drinks a little stronger than pop… Piles of cd cases and in Shino's careful arms… a cake.

"Right. Let's go!" Ino grinned impishly, cracking her fingers. "We've got a lot of work to do!"

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto whined, staring at the Hyuuga gates with distrust. "You've got to be. I mean…dattebayo." He sighed, giving Sakura a look over his shoulder. Sakura, who was on his back, just looked down at him in a slightly adorable puzzled manner.

"Nani? Neji-san isn't so bad… Or so Hinata says." She replied, wrinkling her nose to show that she might just disagree with that.

"You're telling me." Naruto grunted, rolling his eyes. "She's too sweet to know."

"That's what I said, but Ino elbowed me." Sakura grumbled, slipping off his back slowly and grabbing on to his arm to regain her balance.

"…why do we have to have him around anyway? I thought he and Hinata weren't talking since… the disownment thing." Naruto sighed.

"So did I." Sakura shrugged, but Tenten got wind of the party from Ino, cuz Ino is incapable of keeping her great big mouth shut."

"No surprise there."

"Mm." she sighed, and glanced up at him. "And he_ is_ her cousin."

"Poor girl." Naruto grinned. "Let's go."

Silently they entered the compound, pushing open the gates, feeling more jittery than when they went on a mission.

"You know something; I think this may be a bad idea." Sakura admitted hesitantly, biting her lip as they walked up the stairs towards the doorway. It was a modest enough doorway… if you were a rich family that ruled half the village.

Pillars on either side, and a long line of steps lead up to a marble entrance that framed the black as night door and crystal windows along each side.

They didn't even get to think about knocking before the door was flung open by a small peevish looking man in clean clothing that took none of his age off of him. He had small slanted eyes and a mass of gray hair, but he seemed clean enough, though a little startling as he blinked at them through layers and layers of wrinkles.

"What can I do for you in behalf of the Hyuuga Household, my lady, kind sir?"

Naruto and Sakura stared at him, both startled quite a bit by the sudden welcome, though it felt vaguely stand offish.

"…uh. Oh." Naruto began cleverly, grinning sheepishly and reaching up to rub the back of his head. "We…. Ano-"

"We need to talk to Neji-san if that's at all possible." Sakura interrupted, giving Naruto a look that clearly stated he was being a little dumb.

The old man in front of them moved his mouth in an odd manner that made her think he probably had few teeth.

"I will… see if he is home." He smiled at them, his eyes closing almost fully.

The two shinobi just blinked back, a little startled, unaware of being just a tad rude in their staring. Without another word the older man closed the door and stepped back into the house, leaving them alone outside.

For a moment the two stared blankly at the closed door then turned to look back at each other confusedly.

"What the hell was that?"

"I haven't a clue."

A few seconds later the door flung open again and a breathless Tenten stepped out, shoving her hair back under her hair band, looking sheepish and a little out of place. "Uh- Sakura, Naruto, hi!" she gasped, taking a deep breath, shoving loose strands of hair out of the way. "How're you?"

The two shinobi stared at her a moment again, the series of odd welcomes becoming steadily unnerving. "Ne, Tenten-chan, are you all right?' Sakura began, putting a hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Fine, fine." Tenten smiled, breathing in deeply to try to steady her harsh panting. "Anyway, ano… what're you two doing here?'

"Inviting you Lee and Neji to Sasuke's birthday party." Sakura stated in a flat tone that stated quite clearly just how dangerous that probably was.

Tenten froze while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, staring at her. "Oh… I see."

"Yeah." Naruto stated dryly, rolling his eyes to the heavens.

"Ne… I don't know if-" Tenten began.

The door was flung open again and suddenly Lee was outside, looking just as out of breath as Tenten.

"Sakura-san! Naruto-kun! I am very pleased to see you here on this fine summer's day!" he cried, wheezing slightly.

Naruto and Sakura stared back, feeling a little stupid.

"…uh… are we interrupting anything…?" Sakura began hesitantly, making a point not to twitch.

Lee and Tenten blinked at her confusedly, each steadying their own rapid breathing. "Nani? No, nothing at all." Tenten shook her head, flashing her a quick smile.

"What was I saying again?"

"Tenten-chan! Neji-kun has asked that you come back inside to speak with him for a moment if your loveliness would allow it!" lee cut in again, making Tenten turn to look at him questionably, and perhaps a little annoyed.

"I'm sure he put it less… flowery."

"Sakura-san! What brings you to the fine house of Hyuuga?" Lee cried again, ignoring Tenten's irritated look and focusing quickly on the pink haired kunoichi.

Grumbling Tenten stepped back into the house, shutting the door with a snap, turning to head back up the stairs to Neji's room.

On the way up she glanced sideways at the courtyard where Hanabi stood, facing some big nosed tight faced tutor from the rain country that her father had ordered to come and train her.

The girl had been so submerged in her training that she had seen neither Neji nor anyone else for more than a few seconds while passing them in the hallway…

Tenten could hardly remember her face…

Sighing at the sad thought she walked right up the stairs, almost running right into Neji who was waiting at the top with his arms crossed and an impatient look on his face.

"Ack." Tenten stated sharply, taking a step back in surprise. "You should watch where you're going." Neji stated coldly. The girl gave him a glare. "Aren't you the one with all seeing eyes?"

The aloof Hyuuga felt his lips twitch in a controlled smirk. "Why are they here?"

"It's not very fair that you're sending Lee and I running down there like your messenger boys."

"I'm well aware you're not a boy."

The sentence came out of nowhere, both the shinobi froze, staring at one another in slight surprise.

"Uh… well that's good." Tenten managed, trying to annoy herself out of the awkwardness. Quickly she stuck her tongue out at him in a very childish but obviously annoyed fashion, destroying all sense of weirdness in a moment.

"What do they want, Tenten?" he asked again, scrambling mentally to pick himself up. Whatever demonic force had taken control of him and used his lips to say something as idiotic as _I'm well aware you're not a boy _needed to get out before he picked himself up. Or there would be hell to pay, all over again.

"They're inviting us all to Sasuke's birthday party."

Neji scoffed, it was nearly an unconscious natural reaction. Tenten's eye roll was equally natural. "Will you just give the guy a chance, for god's sake?"

"I don't recall ever saying I believed in God."

"Damnit, for my sake then?" Tenten grumbled, almost wanting to stomp her foot in frustration. Instead she crossed her arms, giving him a look that was so close to a pout that his cheeks flushed.

"Why? He's just a bother."

"And in love with your cousin."

"You don't know that."

"It's hard not to."

"I don't know that."

"You're dense- oh god, I didn't mean that!" she added, throwing her hands over her mouth in surprise. "It just felt like I was arguing with Lee."

Somehow the last sentence made him smirk widely, unintended again.

"You want to go to the party?"

"…I haven't seen Hinata since she left the hospital." Tenten admitted, looking at him seriously, hands still up to her mouth from shame at what she had said.

"Hn." He sighed, looking curiously at the ground, assessing the situation for the best possible result.

"Neither have you. Didn't I say you should talk to her?" Tenten enquired as gently as she could, though she was still a bit irritated by the topic.

Neji looked up, a small twitch between his brows stating his dislike of the topic as well. "Somehow talking to her at Sasuke's birthday party doesn't seem like the best idea."

"Oh and you have a better one."

Sudden steps made them turn around to look at Lee, breathing in and out rapidly again from having run up the steps in his hurry to reach them. "Sakura-san is getting impatient!" he cried. "She may use her powerful beautiful fists to scare you out of the house!"

"Did she actually say that?" Tenten blinked, impressed. Lee shook his head. "No!"

"Why does he 'always' yell?" Neji enquired, rubbing his forehead tiredly. Tenten sighed, rolling her eyes again.

"Are we going, or not?"

"Why do we all have to go? You and Lee go." Neji grumbled, crossing his arms. The girl opened her mouth to snap but then stopped, unsure of what to say.

Neji stared at her, waiting patiently for her brain to process the information and maybe say something that would force him to go.

"…but I want you to come…"

Silence followed as Tenten looked back at him, forcing herself despite it all, clenching her hands to keep from looking down as the Hyuuga's intense stare bore into her own.

"Oh." He said.

Lee's large eyes shifted back and forth between the two, his mouth a large O of surprise.

"…I…." he began, "… will go tell Sakura-san that we'll all be going!" he turned around, running down the stairs quickly.

Neji started, turning away from Tenten to look after Lee, who, being the fastest shinobi in the village had already vanished outside. "But I didn't say I was going to go!" he gasped.

Tenten gave him a look, smirking, a little pleased with herself, though she was blushing against her will.

"Looks like you are going though."

Silently grumbling and sulking the Hyuuga shook his head in defeat and headed back into his room.

It took Tenten fifteen minutes and a few throwing knives to get him out… but a clever girl is hard to defy.

* * *

"You DON'T put ribbons up like THAT!" Ino shouted, thumping Chouji (though lightly) on the head.

"How the heck do you do it then?" The boy grumped, tangled up in the mess of blue and white ribbon in his arms and all over his shoulders. "It's hard!"

"Man, you've got issues." Kiba grinned wolfishly, shoving the couch in the living room to a corner so there was more space in the middle of the room.

"I've got issues? You've got to worry about whether or not Sasuke Uchiha likes having dogs in his house!" Chouji snapped back, making Akamaru growl deep in his throat, the sound rippling through the house and making the hair on the back of Ino's neck rise on end.

"Aww…" she began hesitantly, sounding a little fake. "But he's such a cute puppy!" she walked over to the large dog and went to pat him, nervously laying one hand on his nose before withdrawing quickly.

"Somehow I don't think that's exactly going to affect Sasuke's opinion." Shikamaru grunted, shaking his head, standing with his back to the team, eyeing the supplies of non-innocent drinks that had gathered in a corner of the living room with piles of ice.

"Oomph!" they heard from the kitchen, and then… _CRASH!_

Shattering glass from the kitchen is never a good noise.

The team looked at each other nervously, frozen in place, waiting for Shino's voice to finally say something. After a long half minute there was a sigh.

"…I think there might be a problem with the cake…"

"Tch." Shikamaru.

"What?" Kiba.

"Can we still eat it?" Chouji.

"Oh CRAP!" Ino.

_YES! _Akamaru… thinking.

The giant dog rushed into the kitchen, making Shino stumble out, looking a little frazzled with icing all over his coat.

"Well.. it's mostly gone now, Akamaru has his share that's for sure."

"DAMN!" Ino shouted, rushing to the kitchen again. "Damn, damn damn!!"

"I thought Hinata was going to cook anyway." Shikamaru pointed out, shrugging, figuring the quiet Hyuuga could pull off something amazing without a worry. Most people had tasted Hinata's cooking at one point or another and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was one of the best cooks out there.

"That's not fair! I said I would make sure there was a cake!" Ino shouted from the kitchen.

"Argh! Akamaru, back off!"

There was a low growl.

"Ah!!! Kiba!"

Sighing the wolf boy sat down right where he was, rolling his eyes. "Akamaru."

There was a soft whine and the dog trotted out of the kitchen, licking his chops clean of icing.

"Oh well, we'll eat something else." Chouji shrugged. "I saw the fridge, it's stuffed."

"Is that the first thing you check when you enter a house?" Ino grumbled, stumbling out of the kitchen, wiping her shoes clean of icing on a towel.

"Yep."

_Ding Dong. _

The collective silence came back again to haunt them as they stared towards the foyer and the closed door, uncertain.

"…if they're ringing the doorbell… we can assume that it's not them… ne?" Kiba began, glancing at Shikamaru, the strategist.

The young man shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "…dunno."

A hard knock on the door that made the hinges whine in surprise made everyone jump.

"Ino you blonde! Open the damned door!" came Sakura's muffled voice.

"Figures." Ino grumbled, rushing forward in relief to open the door, flicking the locks out of place quickly to let Sakura and Naruto in.

"Hey, I thought you were dragging the Hyuuga ice-cube here." Ino complained as they stepped in alone, Sakura grabbing the chair right beside the door and sitting quickly. "They're on their way. Neji's throwing a fit, won't come out of his room or something."

"…wow." Ino blinked. "Kinda childish."

"And you thought I was immature." Naruto grunted, heading towards the kitchen to get Sakura something to drink, the walk had strained her leg a bit.

"How're the preparations going?" the med nin enquired, glancing around past the foyer walls to the living room and the disaster tangle of ribbon.

"Could be going better if I had a capable team, ya know?" Ino grunted, crossing her arms and glaring at them.

Kiba grinned back peevishly. "We're guys. What the hell would we know about decorating?"

"What the hell happened to the cake!?" Naruto shouted suddenly. Sakura flinched. "Something happened to the cake?"

Ino sighed. "I'm so glad there's another girl here. Maybe we can actually get something done."

Grinning Sakura rolled up her sleeves, licking her lips as she pushed herself to her feet awkwardly because of the cast.

"All right, Ino. Let's whip these boys into shape." She turned to look at the group of lingering men, watching them flinch slightly at the evil glint in her eye.

Ino followed her example without missing a beat.

"You've got it."

Things were really gonna get on a roll.

* * *

"Ne, Sasuke-kun. I thought I saw boxes at the old house entrance." Hinata muttered, sitting quite comfortably on his lap, looking out at the sunset from their branch on the willow tree at the training site. The wind was soft enough to weave through both their hair and tickle their faces as it passed by, tossing handfuls of random petals around them as it flowed.

"Boxes?" Sasuke lied. "I don't think so." He shrugged, knowing full well that most fangirls had actually been too dull to realize he had moved in the last few weeks, something that he was thanking the heaven's for every single moment of the day.

So far there had been no stampedes and no boxes of chocolate _thrown_ at him like last year.

Some of those girls had very good throwing arms. He had ended up with a concussion and a serious grudge several years in a row.

"Oh. Maybe it was the workers then." Hinata shrugged to herself, making a mental note of how his voice sounded when he was lying.

He wasn't very good at it to begin with, but now she knew better than to ignore that slight undertone of nervousness. She knew now.

Smirking because he couldn't see she leaned back, letting out a comfortable sigh, not wanting to move.

"…Hinata." Sasuke began, remembering suddenly a necklace that had been sitting on his dresser for months.

"…Tsunade gave me something of yours when you were in the hospital." He stated, suddenly wanting to know why she had had it. "I forgot about it until now."

Blinking rapidly Hinata leaned back to look at him, confused. "Something of mine?" she cocked her head, making the sun do amazing things with the shades of purple in her hair. "What was it?"

"A necklace." He frowned, reaching out to rub her own frown away, running his finger down her nose, making her smile at the touch. "It's just a small onyx stone wrapped up in a strip of leather."

Slowly Hinata's eyes lifted, widening in surprise.

"…Oh…" she gasped, lifting her hands up to her face. "The necklace!"

Her shock struck his curiosity, making him sit up. "What? What is it?"

"It's not mine- it's yours." She began, sitting up sharply to face him. "Itachi, the reason he came was to give it to you… It was your mothers." Her eyes searched his face, watching it begin to close, only his eyes said anything, his lips pressed tight into a thin line that stated clearly how he didn't know what to say.

"… I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I forgot about it. He said he was going to give it to you if you proved worthy…" she reached up to touch his face gently. "Is it really your mothers?"

Sasuke felt her touch but vaguely, his thoughts rushing to memories of playing with the necklace as it hung around his mother's neck, the smooth stone had felt odd in his small hands when she had held him. She always wore it… he remembered seeing it fly off her neck when she was sliced across by her own son.

"…hai. It's my mother's." he muttered, his voice flat, looking sideways at the sun. Hinata's eyes softened, her hands sliding up his neck to his face, turning him gently to look at her.

"…What is it?"

She searched his gaze worriedly, attempting to understand what was happening within those dark eyes, trying to break through the barrier that was so obviously built there.

"Nothing." He replied quietly, unsure of what to say. He felt strange, the melancholy of remembering his mother's death was sitting heavily on his shoulders, but Hinata's warm hands were distracting, pulling him from the thoughts like a magnet. It was an odd sensation, he couldn't understand it.

"You're lying." Hinata replied softly, kissing him gently, the innocence of it fading with the seconds that ticked by until they were clinging to one another, tasting the warmth of each other's lips, consumed by the sensations washing over them both.

Slowing her heart rate as forcefully as she could manage she began to slow, trailing her lips over his smoothly, making him shiver slightly at the touch.

"I'm sorry." He muttered suddenly, looking at her past his lashes. "I just… can't talk about it."

"I understand." She nodded, leaning her forehead against his, arms wrapped around his neck. "I'm here to listen when you feel you can."

"…arigato."

Smiling gently she pulled back a moment, studying his face before kissing him quickly again, dragging herself to her feet.

"Let's go back, it's getting late." She pointed out, glancing at the setting sun. Sasuke looked back at her lazily from where he sat, thoughts half lingering on the necklace and the fact that it was his mother's but for the most part he was concentrating on studying her.

"Ne, must we move?"

Hinata laughed softly, reaching down to take his hand, giving him a tug. "Come on."

"Ugh." He allowed himself, pushing himself slowly to his feet. "Fine."

"We still have to eat dinner." She pointed out, stepping right off the tree branch and landing at a crouch on the ground, ignoring the jolt of pain that rushed up her side as she landed. The wound had been getting better, but it still ached. Sakura's chakra work had helped heal it faster, though it would still be a few weeks before she could train very hard.

"Hn." He grumbled, smirking slightly before snatching her into a hug from behind, making her burst out laughing as he kissed his way up her neck.

"I wasn't exactly thinking about dinner."

Heart pounding suddenly Hinata leaned back against his shoulder, looking up at him thoughtfully. "I bet."

He smirked, giving her a kiss before letting her go. She had made the boundary line clear. There would be nothing past what they had done… and he would respect that.

Even though it was so disturbingly unbelievably hard to do…

"Let's go. We've been gone a long time as it is." Hinata pointed out, making him eye her uneasily.

Thoughts of nerve wrecking surprises lingered in his mind. She had not said anything to do with birthdays, or parties or the others, so he supposed there was nothing and he was just being paranoid.

Or hopeful.

Silently they started back home, walking in comfortable silence as the stars began to come out, tinged orange from the sun's fingers still staining the sky.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asked, as they stepped up to the front door and she waited for him to pull out the key.

"When is your birthday?"

The young man froze, having just turned the key, the lock echoing loudly. "N-nani?" he began, turning to look at her sharply, ignoring the fact that he had just stuttered.

Hinata grinned back at him, hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Surprise." She whispered.

The door was suddenly flung open from the inside, snatching the key right out of his hand. A loud blaring sound of "SURPRISE!!!" ripped out of the entrance which was crowded with people and bright colors and ribbons and balloons, making freeze, staring back at them all.

_Oh shit._

Though, he was still trying very hard not to smirk.

* * *

The music was playing in the background, something that no one actually recognized except for maybe Ino who was humming along as she served the casserole that Hinata had cooked earlier that day, junk food littered the entire table and drinks of both alcoholic and non alcoholic types were strewn all over the place.

There was loud conversation and arguments from people from time to time usually ending in some sort of drinking contest, which, to everyone's surprise even Hinata joined in, shocking everyone by being the second best drinker, next to Sasuke, who still hadn't begun to get tipsy.

Past midnight meant nothing at all to anyone seeing as they were all so happy and so absolutely high on each other's presence.

Neji, who had refused to drink had stayed in the corner, avoiding for the sake of everyone looking at either Hinata or Sasuke. Which suited both of the others fine. No one wanted to deal with problems when there was sake and who knows what else lingering on everyone's tongues.

"Oh my god!" Ino laughed, watching Hinata stared thoughtfully at one of the sake cups before downing the whole thing, wincing visibly, but still sitting up.

"She's insane!" Kiba shouted, dragging the bottle away, but laughing anyway, pink cheeked himself from drinking more than he should have.

"I'm o-o-kay." Hinata nodded slowly, moving to stand up and falling right back down, laughing a little at herself.

Sasuke put his hands on her shoulder from behind, shaking his head, though he was still smirking. "Tch." He sighed, taking her cup away.

"Is something burning?" Sakura started suddenly, sniffing the air. Everyone stopped for a moment to smell the air and then Hinata was shoving herself to her feet in a hurry, laughing again. "Oh no! The cake!"

The four girls rushed into the kitchen, leaving the guys to struggle with their laughter, though it didn't seem to matter because they were laughing so loudly from inside.

"That's the second cake in a night! We suck!" Ino shouted to the others, making Shino blush slightly at the memory of his 'accident'.

"Ne ne, I'm making pudding instead." Hinata stated, pulling the scorched cake out of the oven, giggling because it looked so sadly pathetic.

"No way we can burn that." Tenten nodded, then began shaking her head at the three slightly drunk girls.

"All aright… there's chocolate in here somewhere." Hinata began, turning to look at what looked like endless cupboards on the opposite wall of the oven.

Fits of giggles passed through the girls as she shook her head, putting a hand to her face slightly. "Maybe that sake wasn't a good idea…"

"Oh come on, it can't be that hard." Tenten sighed, moving forward to attack the cupboards.

"Right." Ino stated sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "We'll see."

* * *

Half an hour later Naruto and Sasuke glanced into the kitchen to see what was taking the bunch of giggling girls so long only to freeze at the sight of all four of them covered nearly head to toe in flour, splashes of chocolate and vanilla and sugar.

"No! Don't put the milk in yet!" Hinata shouted suddenly, startling the two male shinobi at the door with how forceful she was being. But, Ino being herself didn't pay attention and poured a whole whack of the milk into the bowl.

With a _poof _flour exploded all over the place again at the contact, making them cough and laugh and stumble all over.

"Maybe the kitchen wasn't a good idea…" Sasuke began slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're bloody telling me…" Naruto began, chuckling despite himself. "It's gonna take all of the guys to get them out of there, you know that, right?"

"Ugh." Sasuke replied, stepping in the kitchen to try and control the drunk girls while Naruto headed back into the living room to get the rest of the Rookie Nine.

"You've got to go and collect your respective female." Sasuke heard him shout, making him roll his eyes.

"What the hell?" Kiba gasped as he stepped into the kitchen, just in time to see Ino slip and fall on her behind in the middle of a pile of flour.

"Ow!" Ino replied, wiping her face only to leave another streak of chocolate across it.

"Tch." Shikamaru sighed, walking forward before any of the guys got to her first. "All right, it's been fun, but if we don't get them home their '_fathers_' are going to come after all of us, and no offense, but, I'd rather not deal with 'that'." He pointed out, scooping up Ino like she weighed nothing at all.

Chouji flinched, rushing to open the door. "Right! Let's go!"

Naruto laughed, nodding. "No kidding." He muttered, pulling Sakura onto his back. She was still awake enough to know what was going on and muttered an apology about drinking too much and a very detailed threat about what would happen if he decided he could take advantage.

"Yeah, she's off to bed now." Naruto grumbled, rolling his eyes as he passed by Sasuke who had pulled Hinata out of the mess of people and had her sitting on his lap, curled up like a child and ready to sleep. "Mm… too much sake." She admitted, nuzzling into his clothes.

"Heh." He smirked, attempting not to smirk.

Shino and Kiba peeked at the girl thoughtfully. "She'll be fine, ne?" Kiba enquired, glancing up at Sasuke, who nodded. "Good, we'll see ya around. Happy birthday." He added, punching him lightly on the arm before leaving.

Sasuke blinked mildly after them, a little amused by the idea that the two of them accepted him with Hinata better than anyone else.

The problem, however was that the only group left was Lee, Tenten and Neji. And though no one had 'seen' Tenten drinking, she was obviously having some trouble pulling herself to her feet.

"I'm okay. Really, I'm okay." She slurred slightly, biting her lip as she held on to the counter beside her to drag herself to her feet.

Neji and Lee watched, Lee with his mouth wide open in an O of surprise and Neji quirking an eyebrow, attempting to ignore Sasuke holding his little cousin in his lap.

"Neji-kun… I don't think Tenten-chan is-" Lee began, but stopped as the cold Hyuuga gave a sigh and stepped forward, picking the girl up against her very inadequate protests.

"I said I was okay."

"Hn."

"You're not listening to me!"

"Right." He sighed, heaving her up a bit more to make sure she didn't slip, making her flinch and wrap her arms around his neck tighter. "Ne! Don't do that!"

Smirking full out that time he glanced over at Sasuke, gave him a silent nod and then started towards the door, leaving Lee to blink after them and turn to give Sasuke a long, flowery speech about how he was glad he was old enough to rule the Uchiha compound and that the party was _amazing, a show of youthful joy _and that he hoped they would be friends.

With a bow, he left.

Letting out a long sigh of relief he slipped off the counter, Hinata still in his arms, already drowsy with sleep.

"You, are going to have a bad hangover tomorrow." He told her gently, starting up the stairs to their rooms, wondering if he really should leave her alone. She hadn't thrown up at all, like Ino and Sakura who had had to rush to the bathroom twice during the long night.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't yet.

"I've never had a hangover." She admitted softly, letting out a sigh.

"Mm. Don't try to get up tomorrow then."

"Hai." Hinata smiled. "Okay."

Funny that in the morning _trying_ to get up wasn't even an option.

* * *

_**Plot gets back on a roll in the next chapter! **_

_**It'll be shorter, but full out good stuff, ne?**_

_**Read. Review. **_

_**-ink**_


	29. Part 4 Chp 1: Damnit!

**_More than 500 reviews, and nearing thirty chapters with more than 300 pages. _**

**_This story has gotten huge, lol _**

**_Thank you everyone for each review, you're all brilliant. Now, to address some of the questions posed in reviews: _**

**_Are they gonna get married? _**

**_I dunno _**

**_Are they gonna have children? _**

**_Um… if they don't get married I'm assuming not? But if they do then yes? _**

**_Am I gonna write a lemon? _**

**_Uh… lol…. Wow, I'm ALREADY blushing. No, I don't think I will… seeing as I'm seventeen, and as virgin as they come. (haven't even had my first kiss yet, lol!) _**

**_Is there gonna be a sequel? _**

**_Hehe… I don't know. Probably though… (wow, lots of brilliant answers, huh?) _**

**_What's the purpose of the necklace? _**

**_All right, this one I can answer. Itachi was getting frustrated with the fact that his lil brother was ignoring him. Some psychological crap in his head which I WILL explain later is what made him enter the village and enquire why he wasn't training to kill him anymore. _**

**_And I think that's it? Yep… any more questions? Just leave a message, I'll try to get back to you on the next chapter, ne? _**

**_Read. Review. _**

**_-inky

* * *

_**

_A shallow breath, whispers in the shadows of moments he couldn't remember, fingers stroking through his hair, sticky with some substance that smelled and tasted of metal as it slipped through his lips, gagging him with the disturbing taste. _

_He was coughing, struggling to sit up and wretch the hands of whoever was holding him away, but that wasn't possible, he could hardly move his arms, other hands were pinning him to the bed, holding him there. _

_Choking, struggling to move, the sensations were familiar, he had felt them before but he hadn't in such a long time that they had almost been forgotten. The trouble is you can't simply forget things… _

_Things that are ignored always come back to haunt you. _

_He could see his mother's face, pale from loss of blood, a stain of it tracing her cheek, the splash of her own life liquid leaving the streak of darkness against her smooth flesh. _

_He wanted to scream, to scream and shut her eyes as they stared lifelessly at him, her hair matted with the blood that pooled under her. _

_He remembered vague images of struggling to sit up, of crawling to her over the smooth wood of the house, slipping as his hands slid across the blood, sobbing so hard that it hurt, the pain in his chest was like a knife was there, hindering the beating heart within. _

_The sticky substance made his fingers stiff as he lay on his mother, sobbing into her neck, it was still warm, the blood was still warm too, but she was gone, the smell of metal had overpowered the soft smell of home and sugar that had always lingered over her. She wasn't there… she wasn't coming back. _

_Hands took his small body, picking him up slowly, gently fighting him back as he kicked and screamed and made a racket, clawing at the flesh, at the eyes and the mouth that was letting words out. He didn't want to hear words, he didn't want to go back to reality! There was no reality out there, nothing to make it okay, no one to look to. _

_He kept screaming, kept sobbing until the hands were no longer gentle, and he was no longer young. _

_His shoulders were broad, but still vaguely childish, a boy with the ancient soul of a man with vengeance carved into his being. He was looking into the depths of a dark room, where a slithering snake of a man moved, the body was different, the soul was the same, sickened and rotting and absolutely wrong. _

_Sasuke had never claimed that he didn't know about the simple irrationality of his supposed sensei, he didn't really care. Why would he care? _

_His point in life was to slaughter his brother and seize to exist. It was a pathetic useless goal, he knew it the moment his mind figured out why he trained so hard, but he didn't give a damn. What else could he possibly want? _

_There was nothing to want… _

_So he had stayed, disgusted with himself, with his hands as they took life, over and over, katana spinning, slashing flesh the same way his own family had been shattered, the same way he had watched others slaughter his mother. _

_He would have remained there, training, becoming steadily stronger, allowing his sensei to abuse him in every possible way, avoiding women and their flesh just because it was distracting, because it always reminded him of those dead girls he had been forced to kill, or the fact that they had first been taken by his sensei then handed over to him disgusted him. _

_He had kept that bit of his soul, hidden it away so that no one else knew about it. Sometimes he took the girls and if they begged for death he would give it to them, slicing their throats, letting their dead bodies bleed all over his bedroom floor, feeling like vomiting. But he never did… he just watched and waited until he figured everyone assumed he had done what they would have done…fed his lust. _

_Then he would leave, and ask someone to clean up the mess in his room. _

_Flashes of memory kept running past his mind. Of how he had slashed open his shoulder, carved the seal right out of his flesh, almost bled to death in the forest, running, the image of a child screaming as Orochimaru sliced his mother in half still burning in his memory. _

_Bleeding, tired and worn he had stumbled and fallen, struggled to his feet at the sound of a voice he recognized, the sight of bright blue eyes and a shock of blonde hair forcing him to realize that Naruto was looking down at him, anger and worry and overall sickening familiarity making his head swoon. _

_Gasping, more memory, more sticky metallic blood pressed against his lips, images going so fast he was getting dizzy. Images of Sakura looking at him coldly for the longest time, of being held in Anbu camps, of having silent emotionless men interrogate him, beat him, force the truth from his lips, and then from nowhere the nightmares would come, in his broken mind and broken body Itachi would appear, push him against the wall, hold him there and enquire about his promise to his parents, about his nightmares, about his reasons for living. _

_There it was again, sharingan eyes. _

_No one knew that Sasuke Uchiha never looked in the mirror while using Sharingan. The thought made him want to vomit… he would probably kill himself as a result. _

_Kill himself… _

I can't now.

With a gasp and a near scream he sat up, stuffing his pillow against his face hard to catch the cry that would have ripped through the silence of the house if he hadn't been paying attention to his motions.

Mind running on hyper drive he shifted, rolled out of bed and stood, throwing the pillow down once the scream had fought its way down his throat, leaving him feeling raw and ready to throw up, images of blood and gore that he had caused and lived and touched still lingering over his mind every time he blinked.

"Shit." He hissed, reaching up to touch his shoulder where the scar of the seal was. It had taken months to heal. Orochimaru's constant nagging through the residue chakra threads had made it burn again and again. He had spent those months inside his house partly because he was under house arrest, but also because if he left there was the possibility of breaking down into a fit of writhing pain in the middle of a public place, and that was not an option.

Letting out a loud breath he sat down again, glancing out the window at the full moon shedding it's light into his room, looking more ghost like and likely to frighten than usual.

Silently he closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands for a moment to breathe and try to bloody well _think. _

Thoughts were still rushing around his mind too fast for him to truly comprehend, images and memories that Hinata's presence often fought away had come back to haunt him for some strange reason.

He lifted his face, looking up towards the dresser where he knew the onyx necklace was, thrown there carelessly, as if it weren't important.

Itachi's very essence seemed to linger on it, touching it didn't remind him of either Hinata or his mother anymore. It disturbed him, since last week when Hinata had told him about it he had been unable to pick it up to study and try to understand why his brother had wanted to give it to him…

It didn't matter either way. It was useless, Tsunade herself had studied it, along with teams of Anbu.

At the thought of Anbu he frowned, glancing out the window again, ignoring the moon, concentrating on the buildings across the street, too far away for him to see but close enough to be a prime spot to spy from.

Being used, of course. He had known it for a while, but he hadn't bothered to worry about it. It only made sense. If he was an Anbu captain he'd be hesitant to let someone like himself go about without an investigation after the little stunt that the security team had managed to let happen during the Chuunin Examinations.

It only made sense… but it still pissed him off. Hinata was around, assumably unaware of being watched- taking showers and who knew what else that some idiot Anbu loner was probably taking particular pleasure in.

Yeah, he wasn't happy.

Growling to himself he stood, moving to close the curtains only to freeze at the soft sound of steps from the hallway. Silently he turned and stared at the door, waiting for it to open, instead there was a soft knock and his whole body heaved a giant sigh of relief.

"Sasuke?" her voice drifted through the silence of the house, sending a shiver down his back at the innocence and worry in her tone. It hadn't seized to amaze him just how soft she was…

Though at that moment it terrified him more than amazed him. The images of the blood he had shed were still lingering in the corners of his mind, making him realize the fact that he was covered in sweat and still breathing unsteadily from waking up so harshly.

He stared at the door, unsure of what to do, hands lingering in tight fists at his sides. Silently he looked down at himself, listening to the silence of her waiting to see if he would reply.

Sighing he walked towards the door, running a hand through his hair nervously before opening it, looking anywhere but her face.

Hinata stopped, looking up at him in surprise, unsure if she had been expecting the door to open or not. She lifted a hand up to her face, the oversized sweater she was wearing making her look cuter and possibly more tempting than usual. It fit her like a dress, accenting the fact that she was so small, contradicting the image of sensuality that the long cascade of dark hair stated as she turned her head to look at him carefully.

"Are you all right? I thought I heard something…"

The Uchiha didn't reply, glancing silently sideways, towards the long corridor that divided their two rooms and the doors leading to empty rooms that lined it. "I'm fine..." he began, catching himself at the sound of his voice cracking, making him realize just how thirsty he was.

Hinata studied him silence, watching him swallow forcefully, the shine of the sweat across his pale skin settling the truth heavily on her shoulders.

For a moment the silence stretched out between them, strained and awkward, a sensation they hadn't experienced for months…

The Hyuuga Heiress frowned slightly, reaching up to rub at the unfamiliar expression tightening her features, looking a little confused as well. "…ano… a-all right… I just… wanted to m-make sure you were okay…" she began, looking at the ground, listening intently to his breathing and the way it slowed dramatically at her words, his hesitance to say anything to comfort her making it even worse to continue standing there looking like a fool.

Somehow she had bothered him, entered into a place he didn't want her and she didn't know what it was she had done.

The sound of his gasp in the night hadn't been loud, but she hadn't been sleeping either, staring instead through the walls of her room at the other houses across the street housing several Anbu spies had kept her occupied most of the evening and well into the full moon's light.

But he didn't need to know about them, not in his current state.

"Sorry if I woke you." he replied suddenly, finally finding words to try to make things a little easier, but he was apologizing for the wrong thing. Hinata shrugged, a little defeated, being tired from silent spying and staying up late was making it hard to want to push his boundaries.

"You didn't I just…" she began, then frowned, rubbing her face, looking down at their bare feet only a few steps apart. "I'll go to bed now." She sighed, feeling truly tired for the first time in a long while.

She didn't want to suddenly push her way into his thoughts, not in the middle of the night, not when he was tired, and certainly not in her current state of mind.

There were less suicidal things she could be doing, like trying to sleep.

Sasuke bit his lip, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, watching her turn to walk back into her room, letting out a yawn against her obvious attempts not to.

For half a second a smile lingered on his lips, saddened slightly by the guilt of having shut her out so forcefully.

Though, the guilt wasn't as bad as one would think… Somehow knowing that the alternative would be telling her about horrific things he had done in Orochimaru's keeping made him feel like he was making a sacrifice for them both by not saying anything.

"…wait." He sighed finally, knowing full well he couldn't just let her go off like that. She wasn't making any obvious objections to his silence, but she didn't have to. A man knew when he had done something hurtful.

"…stay with me?" it was a question, intended as a statement, or perhaps a backwards way of saying sorry. The words however seemed to strike the right bell and Hinata stopped, hands on her door knob, blinking at the darkness of the wood.

"Ne…" she began, smiling a little weakly as she turned, leaning against the door because of the sleep lingering over her over used Byakugan eyes. "… I hope… you're not trying to seduce me…"

The words left her mouth, without asking for permission. As soon as it rung out in both their ears the heat engulfed their faces, though, Sasuke was smirking slightly, gore and murder beginning to drift from his focus as his eyes took in the sight of her burying her face in her hands, shocked by her own daring.

"…I've to admit, it crossed my mind." He replied, his voice whispering around her, sliding a shiver down her back at the sensual tone. "But then again, that's about as innocent a request as you're going to be getting any time soon, if ever."

He reached out, snatching her hand away from her face, pulling her into his room as she laughed nervously, still trying to hide from view, startled by how rapidly the atmosphere had shifted from one thing to another thing which she couldn't comprehend at all.

It was almost more normal to have him shutting her out than otherwise.

"Tsk." She managed, finding her voice as he dragged her into him. "And here I was just checking up on you."

"Right." He scoffed sarcastically, kissing his way up her neck before falling back into the bed with her, making her let out a soft squeak of surprise that made him smile.

"I was!"

"You were checking me 'out' you mean."

Hinata gasped, sounding sarcastically offended. "Well aren't you arrogant."

"I can be arrogant, I've got the best looking girl around." He smirked again, watching her face color as he masterfully twisted her words around to compliment her. "And no person on the planet is going to blame me for not trying to devise plans with which to seduce you." at this he paused, staring at her for a moment, watching her studying him, waiting to see if he would push the boundary line a little further.

But the worry there behind her curiosity stayed his hand and he sighed slightly, kissing her nose. "They would, however, be a little angry with me if I succeeded."

Her surprised laughter slipped a small smile over his lips. "…well, I'm glad you know."

"Same here." He sighed, watching as she curled in around him, her warmth and scent enough to begin lulling him into sleep again, forcing him to watch her through his lashes as his eyes were half closed.

"…Sasuke…" she murmured, watching sleep crawl over him, wondering if it would work to ask.

He sighed, closing his eyes to focus on answering to her voice.

"…what were you dreaming about?"

The silence lingered for a moment as his sleepy brain jump started, tripping over itself in an attempt to find the words- or perhaps loose them so he wouldn't have to say them.

Sometimes, though, it's too late, and words need to be said to be discarded.

"Orochimaru… my brother… my mother… the things I've done…" he whispered, eyes still closed. For a moment he wondered if he could remain like that, without seeing her expression, without watching the slight curiosity and then recognition of a murderer begin in her eyes.

But that would mean he would never be able to look at her again, and that alone forced him to open his eyes and stare directly into the pale lavender of Hinata's own worried expression.

"…You worry, about the things you've done?" her gaze searched his, straining to find truth in the darkness that was his eyes, clouded by the uncertainty hindering his lips.

"…doesn't everyone?"

* * *

"I can't get a word out of him." Naruto snapped, tossing a report down on the already cluttered desk at Tsunade's office. "He's not talking again, though he's smiling a hell of a lot more."

Tsunade stared at the paper like it was some terrible stain on her impeccable work. For a moment Naruto was certain she was going to produce some sort of giant hammer to beat it into oblivion.

However, the hokage simply frowned slightly and looked up at him, lips pressed into a thin line.

"But you're his best friend."

"Also, his only 'actual' friend, which makes the title less than glamorous and gives me a little less access into his personal thoughts." Naruto grumped, making her stare at the excessively clever use of vocabulary.

"Apparently Sakura is doing wonders for your brain."

He grinned then, the same goofy idiot smile he had always had, reaching up to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "That's not the only thing."

Tsunade almost choked on a dumpling, wrinkling her nose in order to swallow. "I don't want to know."

"Thought so."

"About Sasuke." She began again, looking him in the eye… uneasily. "Anbu says he's been having consistent dreams again, despite Hinata."

"She's staying in a different room." Naruto corrected automatically, frowning. "But then again, Sasuke and I don't exactly discuss sleeping arrangements at _anyone's _houses." He smirked again. "That'd be a little awkward for the teme, I think."

"Heh." Tsunade sighed, rubbing between her brows. "Listen. Anbu has decided it can withdraw it's surveillance, they have found nothing to assume he's been in contact with Akatsuki or Orochimaru."

The silence that responded made her frown, looking at Naruto thoughtfully, the glare he was giving the table more than adequate information to show he was frustrated.

"What is it?"

"Sasuke hates Akatsuki… _and _Orochimaru." He looked up, intense blue eyes burning into hers. "I don't get why he was being spied on."

"He betrayed the village."

"And came back half dead, I think he's learned something from it."

"Hai." Tsunade grumbled. "Most people assumed he learned to be more careful with how he hid his alliances."

"Don't be stupid!"

"That is what the village says." Tsunade retorted thinly, standing sharply and making him withdraw his angry stance into a formal one… albeit ruggedly and with a lot of effort.

"I need that opinion to be changed, finding out what happened is the key- from what I understand he and Hinata fought off his brother, that should be enough evidence, and if you don't get it from him you have to get it from Hinata herself."

Naruto almost scoffed, feeling a little caged. "You want me to talk to his girlfriend about him behind his back? Are you _trying _to get me killed?"

"Just bloody do it, damnit." Tsunade finally shouted, resorting to throwing her books at him again.

The blonde grumbled, dodging his way out the door. "Dattebayo- first she gives me mission impossible one, now it's number two…" he hissed, slamming the door hard enough to shake the solid cement walls. "Find out from Hinata… ri-ight. Cuz they're not attached at the hip at all…"

* * *

Her hands shot out, sharp and defined and once more holding the power that she had had before.

The contact with the solid wood felt good, throbbing as it rushed up her arm to her elbow, weakened by her lack of use.

With a soft grunt she threw her knee into the target, spinning around to nail it high with a round kick, listening to the satisfying impacts of each of the blows, seeing as there was no way she could see them.

Once more, the blindfold was on, sweat trickling down her closed eyelids, making her want to reach up and rub it off, though she didn't, resisting the urge only because she had to keep going.

"Fifteen minutes." Sasuke's voice stated suddenly, forcing her to speed up again, turning sharply, throwing a back elbow into the wooden pole again, relishing the fact that there would be bruises there later.

Bruises were good; they meant her skin would have to get tougher.

"Seventeen minutes." Sasuke stared at her, his eyes leaving her swiftly moving body only for seconds to glance at the clock in his hands, keeping time… making sure that he didn't loose himself in the dance that she was performing.

It was amazing… a few weeks, some good bursts of chakra and her body had begun to move as if it had been training consistently through the entire year, pouring out massive amounts of energy and efficiency, or so he thought.

Hinata had explained earlier that morning that that wasn't the case. "I control the amount that comes out." She had said.

Through control, she had wasted nothing of what she had and managed to spread it out to continue a bag drill for over seventeen continuous minutes without slowing down.

_Holy hell…_

"Twenty minutes…" he muttered after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck, beginning to worry. Her clothing was clinging to her already, sweat soaked and her cheeks were flushed as she spun, braid flinging behind her as she slammed her shin into the pole, shattering it in half, a rain of splinters and broken wood showering over her as she landed at a crouch, panting heavily, listening to the rest of the training post toppling over onto the ground with a heavy dead _thud. _

Sighing heavily Sasuke shook his head, clicking the timer to stop it's consistent march. "Twenty minutes, exactly." He replied, to her silence, walking over quietly. "Tsunade might kill me, but maybe you should inform her of your improvement. She could probably examine the wound in case there was any chance of relapse and then we'd be able to actually train at the training sites rather than hiding in the woods." He muttered, dragging her to her feet and turning her around to remove the blindfold.

Still breathless, Hinata complied, licking her dry lips quickly. "It's August, do you think I can make it in time…?" she whispered, ignoring his earlier comment, thoughts racing to the battle she had to face.

"I've never said otherwise."

"…hai, you're right."

The feeling of the blindfold sliding away was a relief, sight, her most valued sense flooded her the moment she opened her eyes, allowing her to sigh softly, blinking in the dim light of the forest.

Silently she began to rotate her shoulders, unaware of his close proximity and wandering eyes, watching each subtle movement of muscle under her smooth skin.

Biting his lip he stepped back sharply, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, flinching at the sound of footsteps approaching, cutting off his train of thought which had at that moment begun to tell him off about how he was being way too much like Jiraya of late.

"Someone's coming." Hinata whispered, frowning slightly, turning in the direction of the approaching steps. The woodland stared back silently, without expression, the deep greens and black that made up the landscape unaware of any approaching force.

With a flicker a sudden figure appeared and both shinobi flinched, bodies settling into battle stances before they realized what they were doing.

Lee looked back at them, his already wide eyes wider, followed by his very characteristic O shaped mouth of surprise.

"I startled my dear friends! Forgive my intrusion!" he cried. "I come to say good afternoon and enquire as to your plans for the evening?"

Sasuke looked back at him silently, eyebrows pulled together in a cold frown.

"Hn." He retorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets, the relaxation of the pose only on the surface, mentally he was swearing at him for making him jump like a cat startled.

"Plans for the e-e-evening?" Hinata blinked, lifting her fingers to her lips hesitantly. "Ano… I-I don't think…" she stopped, glancing over at Sasuke for confirmation on what she was about to say.

He looked back calmly, face more expressionless than she had seen it weeks. Mentally rolling her eyes at his rapid closure she sighed and turned to look back at Lee, pondering. "I-I don't think we're… ano…. Doing anything today." Her glance flickered to the aloof Uchiha again, only to merit the exact same reply of calm impassiveness as before.

Peeved slightly Hinata bit her lip, tuning out Lee's rant about how he was so very glad that they could attend the dinner Neji had invited them to.

For a moment the Uchiha and Hyuuga just looked back at each other, having a very silent argument with their eyes before the word "Neji" and "Invited" finally settled over their minds.

Slowly they turned to look at Lee, obvious confusion on their faces. "…p-p-pardo-" Hinata began.

"What?" Sasuke interrupted, making Lee stop mid rant, blinking at them. "Neji-kun has come to the decision that he would like to invite you both to a dinner at one of the restaurants in town this evening, he sent me to ask."

"D-d-demo!" Hinata began, eyes wide.

"We're not going." Sasuke stated, only to jump slightly as Lee advanced on him so quickly he could hardly follow. "Demo! Tenten-chan worked so HARD to force him to ask you to come!"

Hinata stared at their odd position. Sasuke was leaning back slightly, hands still in his pockets, looking for all the world like he didn't give a damn, except for the fact that Lee was leaning into him so much they were on the verge of loosing their balance and falling all over each other.

For a moment she had the sudden urge to burst into uncontrollable laughter. Swallowing it as hard as she could she stated, quite calmly, as if it were very normal for Hinata Hyuuga to make a decision for herself and another, "We'll be there."

"How excellent!" Lee cried, stepping away from Sasuke just before they both flopped from the gravity strain. "I will inform Neji-kun immediately!" without another word he ran off, leaving only his trail of raised dust to state he was ever there in the first place.

For a moment there was silence as Hinata and Sasuke stared off after him then, without turning Sasuke sighed. "We're going, huh?'

"Mhm." Hinata hummed, turning to pick up their equipment, smirking because she knew he was having a harsh inner battle.

Which was true, Sasuke continued to stare off down the path that Lee had taken, fighting with himself in silence. He wanted to be okay with it and just bloody well go, because for all he knew, Neji was being less of a dumb ass than usual and deserved a fair chance to apologize for being a prick.

But then, the other part of him was saying, quite simply. _Fat chance. _

He was inching towards the second.

"We're really going?" he asked again, turning to look at her finally, wishing for all the world that she wasn't so goddamn cute and irresistible and completely able to control what he did at that moment.

A night with Neji- _sama _was not on his list of things to do.

"Hai, I believe we are."

"Hn." He retorted, because he didn't have anything else to say. Hinata smirked, turning to look at him without bothering to hide it at all. "I love you." she stated, making him melt in one second.

"Damnit." He sighed, rubbing his face and shaking his head, obviously defeated because he was trying not to laugh.

Hinata only smiled. "Yes, I thought so."

* * *

There weren't a lot of reasons why she had decided to go to the dinner so obviously planned by Tenten. At the moment of the decision she had been thinking of one thing and one thing only, the fact that Tenten's efforts to make her cousin do something against his wishes simply could not be wasted.

As her friend she couldn't allow that to happen, being Neji's cousin and knowing full well how much energy it took to force him to do something he didn't want to, she knew just how valuable, if unpleasant, such a feat was.

But as she examined her thoughts again, while brushing out her hair in her room, preparing for the said dinner, she came to the realization that it had been a very hasty decision.

One she was regretting with more vigor with each passing moment.

_Why? Why would I _want _to go talk to him after ignoring his presence for over six months?! What a complete baka! And it's a whole dinner too… oh God, what have I gotten myself into?_

These thoughts of course were not being shared with Sasuke who was in 'his' room attempting to keep himself from jumping out the window and running off somewhere. The fact that it would be completely useless against Hinata's puppy eyed stare was partly what was keeping him in place, the other part was that he couldn't let her go meet her cousin on her own and the third was that if he decided to run away her Byakugan could probably track him down without much trouble and he'd be in for a beating if she showed up with any of the anger she had had while facing Itachi.

Never in his life had a girl made him wonder if he'd be able to stand up to her if she came at him with kunai in hand.

This one deserved a medal for making him doubt his own abilities, and being attractive about it all at once. Without even meaning to.

But still, he wasn't having a good time of it. Silently he rummaged in his drawers, wondering where the hell any of his good shirts were, for crying out loud. Hinata had been folding and putting away his clothes for months and he had never really cared about where his clothes went but when you were being nervous or slightly irritated about an occasion finding the right ones were of some sort of importance.

Luckily, Hinata who had just gotten up to ask if he was ready was standing at the door, watching with bright red cheeks as he looked around his room, shirtless, each muscle rippling with power and sheer male grace, the elegance with which he moved forcing a knot in her throat.

_…this is why I still have my own room… _

"Can I help you, or are you satisfied just standing there staring?" Sasuke asked suddenly, trying to be cocky about it as he turned around to look at her, finally finding the shirt he was looking for.

It would have worked too, if he wasn't blushing so damn hard.

Hinata jumped, realizing she had indeed been staring and then stuck her tongue out at him in a feeble attempt to regain her composure. "I was just giving you time to be ready, because we have to go."

"Ri-ight." He stated sarcastically, still blushing, making it seem less like she was being the strange slightly addicted one.

"What do you think it's about?" she asked, fiddling silently with the small bow that tied up her black shirt right under her breasts. It was a formal affair and so they were told to dress accordingly. She was wearing a skirt, a rare enough occurrence to make her look ever more adorable that usual. It was white, with a design of black roses trailing up one side, and a white tank top with a black blouse overtop that opened like a tunic unless closed by the black ribbon wrapping around her upper waist.

As he studied her he felt a smile pull at his lips, it didn't ever matter what she was wearing, there was always that sense of elegance and sweetness about her…

It was odd thinking that she was fully capable of kicking someone's ass out the window.

"I don't know." He admitted, frowning slightly as he pulled the simple black t-shirt over his head and grabbed the white button down as he walked over to her, ruffling his hair in what had become a habit. "But it's not going to be pleasant."

"Aw." Hinata sighed. "M-maybe he's going to apologize…"

"Hinata." He stated, closing his bedroom door after she stepped out. "People aren't as nice as you."

Laughing at that she followed him down the hall and out the door, shaking her head. "I'm not particularly nice."

"Hn!" he retorted, glancing over his shoulder at her in disbelief, stating his obvious disagreement.

"I'm not!"

"I'm going to kiss you if you keep arguing!"

"But I'm not!" she was smirking, knowing full well what her supposed _punishment_ was going to be.

Happy to be the villain to punish her Sasuke snatched her around the waist as they walked down the road, kissing her gently.

"And you're grounded."

* * *

Neji shifted, bland lavender eyes focusing on the table and the reflection of the dancing flame that was the candle sitting on it's glass surface.

It was an interesting design, smooth, elegant, made of dark iron and sheer glass, the trouble was that you could see right through it and it was vaguely uncomfortable in that sense.

He could see Tenten's legs crossed in a very lady-like manner across from him, wearing what he had never seen her wear before.

High heels.

She was almost as tall as him while wearing them. Almost.

And her hair was down….

He was trying not to think about that, because there was something shockingly, amazingly, disturbingly almost addictively beautiful about it. He hadn't ever noticed what kind of deep brown it was. In the tight buns she always wore it as it looked normal, bland. When it was down and the sunset's light flowed through it the waves would capture the sun's light, a thousand different shades of red and black clashing into a vibrant array of color that made him stop to stare for a second while she conversed with Lee, talking and laughing about something or other…

He'd realized he was in trouble then.

"Neji-kun?' Tenten enquired, cocking her head at him as she lifted a cup of red wine up to her lips, blinking at his frown. "Are you all right?"

"Fine." He replied, sighing heavily, tearing his eyes away from her legs, quite pretty and in view seeing as she was wearing a dark green skirt of some sort.

Tenten licked her lips slightly as he looked up to meet her gaze slightly, looking away almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, you just look very uncomfortable." She decided to point out, rotating her wrist to make the wine swirl, the deep red liquid spinning softly, making it's deep red hues swim by the light of the candle flame.

Music was playing off in the distance somewhere, the restaurant was expensive enough to have a pianist, the sound harmonized with the soft whispers of people conversing.

He sighed again, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the two empty places, one beside him and one beside Tenten.

The girl made an amused noise, like a small laugh caught in her throat. "Are you nervous?"

"Well, there was a reason why I didn't want to do this." He pointed out haughtily at the laugh, a little irritated by it. She smirked back, noting that he was so irritated he was no longer paying attention to just how long he held her gaze.

"Really? And what was that?"

"…You have no idea?"

"Well, aside from disliking Sasuke and not talking to your cousin for months-"

"Do I _need _another reason?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting patiently for her reply, trying not to pay too much attention to the delicate movement of her wrist as she twirled the wine, smiling back at him knowingly, making heat begin to rush up along his neck and ears.

"It'd be nice if you did."

"I was going to talk to her later." He pointed out, looking away for fear of finding himself staring. He did have another reason, it being that she had said it would be a formal dinner… it felt almost like a date.

Her sitting there looking gorgeous did not help the situation- and the fact that the Uchiha and Hinata-hime were late.

"I don't think you would ever do it on your own merit." Tenten dared suddenly, leaning forward as if to defy him visibly.

Neji frowned, giving her a quizzical look for a second as he glanced around the room. "You think I'm a coward."

"That's not what I said, you said that." Tenten blinked, surprised by the words he was putting in her mouth.

"That's what it sounded like."

"Maybe you think you're a coward and that's why that's what it sounded like."

"What?" he shook his head in confusion.

She smirked, suddenly feeling like laughing all over again. "Nevermind."

"Tenten-c-c-chan." Hinata's voice cut in suddenly, making them both start. Neji looked up rapidly past Tenten at Hinata and Sasuke, standing behind their table, a waiter in tow carrying menus in his hands.

"Hinata!" Tenten cried, smiling as she stood, taking her into a hug. "How have you been? I haven't talked to you since the day after the party."

"I wouldn't call that t-talking." Hinata admitted, blushing at the memory. "I could hardly open my eyes, the hangover was so bad."

"Heavy drinker." Tenten grinned.

Sasuke and Neji exchanged glares, both of their pairs of hands stuffed very coldly into their pockets. There would be no hugging and or hand shaking for them. No siree.

Hinata licked her lips dryly and sat down beside Tenten, forcing Sasuke to resist rolling his eyes.

She was making him sit down beside the ice cube?

_Great. _

Swaggering more arrogantly than usual the Uchiha slid down into the seat carefully, keeping a good distance between himself and Neji, looking anywhere but the damned shinobi.

"H-how a-are you, cousin?" Hinata put in suddenly, surprising everyone at the table by using the forbidden family title. Hinata's words had stammered but she looked evenly at Neji, meeting his eyes without wavering, determined to seem calm.

He was her cousin, she would be heiress, that was what was going to happen. He'd better be accustomed to the title.

"…fine." He finally replied after a moment of surprised silence before clearing his throat nervously.

Tenten sighed. "guys are so disturbingly stiff. For crying out loud." She grumped, sighing heavily. "Neji and I were talking the other day." She stated sternly, giving him a look, to which he replied with an impassive stare. "We were talking about the many things that have happened over the last few months." She sighed, turning to look over at Hinata, glancing back and forth between her and Sasuke.

"…Hinata's disownment was so sudden that… well, there haven't been a lot of explanations to how or why it happened." Her eyes softened, looking a little worried. "We wanted to talk to you about it."

Hinata stared at them a moment, hearing quite clearly their words, but noting more accurately the fact that Tenten kept using the plural word _we_.

_God… are they finally together? _

Sasuke frowned slightly, a little unsettled by the possible information that would be given at the meeting. Hinata didn't know the full reasons behind her disownment… he hadn't thought about it in so long that it hadn't occurred to him to say something.

And now he didn't know if he actually wanted to.

Neji however began to speak suddenly.

"Uncle Hiashi… is quite willing to sacrifice his daughters' happiness for the sake of the clan. And I knew that, but it didn't occur to me…" he frowned, looking at the table again, feeling the words knot in his throat.

"…I didn't think he would disown you in order to safe the clan's pride. I jumped to conclusions." He glanced up at Hinata, who was staring at her hands, her expression so calm it was almost impossible to read.

"…Gomen, I have said many things that were not meant to be said or thought…I've failed in my duty to protect you from myself."

Tenten studied him as he spoke, her expression softening at the way his hands tightened, white knuckles showing the strain it was taking to say the words coming from his lips.

"…That's not your duty anymore." Hinata muttered softly, looking up with a half smile. "I'm no Hyuuga… for the time being."

Neji flinched. "Duty is then, perhaps the wrong word…"

Sasuke frowned at him a moment, listening to the apology, silently debating whether he was more so glad that Hinata and her cousin were having the conversation or disappointed that he wasn't going to stay out of their lives a little longer. It would be annoying having an older brother-ish figure hanging about.

"I am sorry, either way."

"I understand…" Hinata began after a moment, smiling a little ruefully. "You've never been one to grasp humanities odd vices quickly, cousin."

Tenten stifled a giggle at the surprised look that crossed both Sasuke and Neji's features. "Ne…" Neji began, quirking an eyebrow. "…I guess you're right."

"Completely." Sasuke put in quietly, earning a warning glance from the stoic Hyuuga slowly relaxing at the feel of some heavy weight lifted from his shoulders.

Tenten felt her whole body suddenly relax, watching him look at his cousin again with that half smile hiding under his stiff mask.

"Ne, I've a question." Hinata began, looking at them in confusion, the air clearing up so quickly of all awkwardness that she was quite ready to ask.

"Since when have you two been together?"

There was a stiff silence, and then Tenten's wine cup somehow ended up shattering on the ground, making everyone jump about a foot in the air.

It was only then that both Sasuke and Hinata realized… that they weren't together at all.

Yet.

* * *

**_Ya know what, I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. I'm pushing the plot little by little. I feel though that maybe I am going waaay too slow. _**

**_Please let me know, I love your opinions. _**

**_Am I putting too much effort into detail? _**

**_Read. Review. _**

**_-ink! _**


	30. Chp 2: Competition

_**I must apologize, again, for vanishing off the face of the earth for so long. It so happens that the end of the year is rolling around and because I'm in IB classes at school end of the year exams are being shoved down my throat. Lol.**_

_**For those of you who don't know what IB is, let me tell you it's a hopeless curriculum in which the students die of information overload :p**_

_**Anyway, with that and the fact that I have to get another job. (that'd be my number two) and training to get into my adult advanced class in kickboxing so I can start defendo and compete in championships, I'm pretty much dead. **_

_**Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. **_

_**So, that is why I haven't posted anything new, and I am muchly sorry. I hope you all forgive me.**_

_**Anyway, lol, new chappie, and I actually don't know what the heck I'm gonna write… I hope it makes some sort of sense. **_

_**Read and Review! **_

_**-ink

* * *

**_

Hinata crouched, close enough to the shop window to feel the coldness of the glass nearly touching the end of her nose, but that didn't distract her, not from the fluid movement of the dark creature in front of her, the rippling muscle and elegance with which he moved.

Wide eyed and stunned she breathed out, her breath covering the glass in a fog of warmth, making the little creature within jump backwards in surprise, blinking huge green eyes that glittered as he moved.

"…it's like…" she began, staring at him. "…a kitty version of Sasuke…"

The sentence had a nice enough reaction, laughter bubbled, or perhaps more like exploded from Ino, Sakura and Naruto who were standing behind her, watching her stare in awe at the black kitten bouncing around within the pen, arrogantly ignoring the rest of the kittens within.

He was a small thing, no bigger than her hand, with glossy black fur and large green eyes too big for his face, though they narrowed often in the directions of the others as they tumbled about on top of one another. As if in their secret language they were saying things that annoyed him.

"I can't believe it." Sakura gasped, holding on to Naruto in an attempt to stay standing while laughing hard enough to get tears to roll down her cheeks.

"You're so right, look at that thing, it's so amazingly adorable!" Ino gasped, following Hinata's example and pressing her nose against the glass.

"He's so cute!"

"I want him…" Hinata admitted hesitantly, always the last one to admit wanting something deeply enough to say it. Naruto smirked broadly, rolling his eyes. "Doesn't that just figure."

"You should buy him!" Sakura gasped, jumping up. Naruto finally burst into laughter again. "If anyone walked in on your conversation they'd think you were buying off Sasuke… for something quite different."

Hinata colored rapidly while the other two laughed out loud, concentrating on no trying to laugh too much. "A-a-ano… that's not what I meant at all." She began, stuttering, her face heating up so much it felt like it might melt right off.

Giggling despite herself she pushed herself to her feet, looking longingly at the little kitten now sitting by the window, blinking up at her with a confused expression. Perhaps he thought that she was being strange, standing there looking at him for so long.

"…I'll buy him." She nodded suddenly, blinking back at the cute furball with a weak smile, absent minded in her expression.

Sakura and Ino blinked at each other startled out of their laughter by the concentrated look on her face.

"Hai? You're going to buy him?"

Hinata bumped her fingers together, blushing just a little. "Do you think Sasuke will be angry? I mean… i-it sorta is a new being in t-the house-"

"Aw, come on. Just buy it, he'll have to suck it up." Sakura grumbled, rolling her eyes to the sunny sky above.

"Dattebayo." Naruto grumbled, rolling his own eyes. "This is the first time she goes out on her own in how long? And she comes back with a whole new member to the family-"

"They're not quite a family!" Ino crowed, laughing. "He's gonna have to propose for that."

Shrinking slowly into the corner where the door was to the pet shop, Hinata watched them, so red in the face she might as well have been part of the solid red brick wall.

"Oooooh, my GOD. Can you imagine the size of the stone in her ring? It's going to be MASSIVE. He's got enough money to-" Sakura began, stopping abruptly catching sight of Naruto's quirked eyebrow.

"Er… nevermind."

"Hey!" Ino gasped, looking around in surprise. "Where did Hinata go?"

* * *

Gasping he flung down the kunai, bringing up his hands in place to block the solid quick, feeling the impact of Neji's expelled chakra shock against his forearms, sending him skidding backwards into the tree behind him.

Clenching his jaw forcefully he dodged a following punch, the impact of that on the bark behind him sending splinters everywhere. With a grunt he shoved forward, throwing an elbow into the place where Neji's face should have been, spinning around to face him as another series of attacks came, flickering out of sight just long enough to confuse him, a rain of shuriken flung down, making Neji flicker out of sigh as well, urging his body to move faster.

Behind them, sitting quite worriedly on a nearby tree branch was Tenten, flinging her hands up to cover her eyes repeatedly as the two top shinobi of her age group sparred. Making another 'eep' noise she covered her eyes, peeking between her fingers to stare at the dangerous blows being exchanged.

Beside her sat Lee, looking on in wide eyed surprise.

"Ne, ne!" He cried, shaking his head. "Neji-kun and Sasuke-san are a mighty sight to behold! A true show of the power of youth!"

"They're going to die young too if someone doesn't _stop _them!" Tenten gasped in return, shoving herself to her feet slowly, only to be dragged down by the green-clad young man beside her. "Trust them, Tenten-chan. They are not so out of control as to hurt each other- and…" he gave her a happy grin and a thumbs up, the nice guy pose. "Hinata-chan is on their minds, they wouldn't do anything to one another, if only for her sake."

Clenching her jaw Tenten sighed, lowering herself back down hesitantly. "…yeah." She admitted, looking glum as she leaned her chin on her hands gloomily. "I just wish they didn't have to make it so scary."

A cry erupted from the ninja flickering in and out of sight below, Sasuke caught Neji's solid kick in his bare hands, flinching at the pain drilling down his arm.

_Shit!_

"Is that all you've got?" he grunted instead, throwing the shinobi forcefully away. Fluid like water, Neji spun in the air, landing in a graceful crouch a few feet away, his eyes lined heavily by the thick veins of his Byakugan.

"Bring it out, Uchiha."

Glowing red met glimmering lavender as chakra rolled in waves around them, making their hair dance.

Tenten shifted on the tree branch, looking ready to jump down. "Ne… Lee-kun… do you think they're still okay…"

Lee looked painfully impassive.

"Eh…" he began, dully.

"Oh no!" Tenten gasped suddenly, watching the two shinobi shove their feet into the ground, running towards each other at a speed her eyes could hardly follow.

Blood pumping hard in both their ears, breath caught in their throat, chakra rolling down to their fingers and- kitten?

Sasuke started, followed closely by Neji's widening gaze as a black kitten appeared in the middle of their path. He blinked innocent green eyes, hair beginning to rise up on end. "Meow?"

_"Matte!"_

Gasping both geniuses shoved their heels into the moss of the forest ground, straining to stop as Hinata appeared out of nowhere, ink dark hair flying around her as she scooped up the kitten in her arms and held it.

With a high pitched BANG a tree shattered behind Sasuke, ripped to shreds by Neji's chakra, followed by the complete desecration of another tree behind Neji himself.

Splinters rained down on them all as everyone stood there, wide eyed, panting, and completely frozen in place.

Finally, heart returning slowly but surely to it's normal rhythm Sasuke opened his mouth, gaping at Hinata sitting on the moss with a sigh of relief, kitten in her lap purring quite loudly.

"Hinata!" Neji and Sasuke chorused, and followed by a twin glare at one another. "I could have killed you!" Neji shouted. "What were you doing?!" Sasuke followed, rubbing his face roughly to rid himself of the tingling sensation running all over his body at the realization of what could have happened.

"Ano…" Hinata blinked up at them, ignoring the kitten climbing into her shirt haphazardly. "Gomen… I-I… well, he… he got away and I-"

At the mention of 'him' both young men turned to look down at the kitten's little rear paws vanishing into Hinata's dark shirt, a mew sounding from within the material as the little creature shifted in the warmth and poked it's head back out, quite content.

"Nani…?" Sasuke began slowly, trying not to twitch.

Neji sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead, unable to find anything to say at all.

"…a-ano…he- well I…" Hinata blushed furiously, well aware of where 'both' their eyes were looking. Slowly she wrapped her arms around herself and the cat. "…eh… he… well, I saw him, and I-"

"She bought a kitten, is that so hard to understand?" Tenten grumbled, jumping down from the tree.

Looking more infuriated than usual she stormed over to Neji who blinked at her and then started as she walked into his personal space, jabbing a finger into his chest. "What was that all about! You could have killed someone!"

"…ano-" he began, surprised by her anger.

"Don't you start! That was a rhetorical question, we're going to train some way that doesn't involve death now, do you hear?" she snapped, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him away, only to stop at the look of puzzled confusion on Sasuke's face.

"And you!" she started, letting go of Neji only long enough to jump into Sasuke's personal space as well, forcing his eyes to widen in utter surprise. He hadn't ever been able to make Tenten mad…

There's a first time for everything.

"You'd better watch it! You could have hurt someone too! Hinata, teach this hot head some manners or I'll- uuuurgh!" she grumbled, shaking her head, storming back to Neji irritably, positively fuming.

Hinata, Sasuke, Neji and Lee just stared at the kunoichi in shock, all eyes wider than usual. "Let's go!" she ordered, grabbing Neji's arm again.

"…bye… Tenten-chan.." Hinata half whispered, her eyes almost as wide as the kitten's own gaze as he stared after the slightly terrifying female.

"Tenten-chan! Wait!" Lee shouted, running after them after an absent minded wave at Sasuke and Hinata.

"…she…was really…"

"Pissed off." Sasuke finished, running a hand through his hair thoughtfully, smirking slightly despite himself. "Only because I put her unofficial boyfriend in slight danger."

"Sasuke!" Hinata gasped, giving him a half hearted look that might have been scolding if she weren't half pouting.

"Ne, he can handle it." Sasuke sighed, smirking back at her, blushing despite himself. "...ano.." he added, watching her look down with a surprised 'eep' at the kitten in her shirt.

"Who's he?"

"Sasu…" Hinata mumbled, so softly he had to strain to hear.

"…Sasu." He stated, sounding slightly startled as he walked over to her, crouching down to look at the black bulge sticking out of the neck of her shirt. "…wait a minute." He began, making the connection the moment the kitten gave him a glare.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata gasped, looking up at him, shoving strands of dark hair out of her way as the wind blew by, making the last of the cherry blossoms dance through it's strands. "I should have asked! But, I saw him and I… well, he.." she stopped, looking down at the kitten burying her nose in his dark fur. Softly she mumbled something, blushing so hard even the kitten felt the heat.

"…nani?" Sasuke blinked slightly, reaching out to touch the cat but stopping at the amount of blushing she was going through.

At his question she darkened a shade, eyes closing sharply as she lifted her face out of the kitten's fur to answer as quickly as possible.

"…he reminded me of you and I didn't know if I could leave it in the pen with the others because he looked so unhappy and I just didn't know if I would have time to come and ask if it was okay or not so I bought him without saying anything and I didn't know what to do so I came here to ask now that I have him but I don't know it's okay if he can stay and I-" she stopped, looking up at him and his wide eyed gaze, turning a whole new shade of crimson at his stare. "…gomen."

For a moment neither of them spoke, listening only to the soft purring sound of the kitten in her arms and the wind whispering through the branches of the trees.

Letting out a soft sigh, followed by a rapid coloring of his cheeks, Uchiha Sasuke shook his head slightly, smirking, reaching out to touch her cheek rather than the cat.

"…you're so damn cute."

* * *

"Ne…Neji-kun?" Hinata muttered, petting the napping kitten in her lap. They had caught up soon after the little encounter in the woodland to the other team who had moved from sparring to target practice, at which Tenten was a champion at. The girl flicked a handful of kunai up and down while Hinata and Neji rested, sitting on the roots of the trees lining the outskirts of the site.

Sasuke and Lee were off in the distance, practicing taijutsu.

"Nani?" came the quiet reply as Neji lifted his nose out of a book, glancing at his cousin, eyes softening at the intent expression of care on her face as she stroked the kitten's fur.

"…h-how…how is Hanabi-chan?" she mumbled, cocking her head to the side as she looked up. "…I…haven't dared to ask…"

For a moment there was silence as the cold Hyuuga turned away, looking down at the ground thoughtfully for a way to pull his thoughts together. It had been a few weeks since he had been working together with Sasuke to improve Hinata's training regimen. She had asked nothing about her sister, though it had appeared several times that she had begun to ask something and then caught herself, stopping before the sentence began.

Now he knew what had been bothering her for so long.

"…I wouldn't know, Hinata." He replied honestly, closing his book and glancing up at her to watch her expression slowly slide from wary to worried. "…what do you mean?"

Neji sighed, eyes glazing over as memories slid across his vision.

_The silhouette of Hanabi against the blankess of the opposite wall was disturbing, her panting and gasping body trembled as she pulled herself up, chin up per chin up, the shadow of her instructor standing beside her, snapping in a low voice to move faster, push harder, go longer. _

_He didn't have to see through walls to know that she was sobbing…_

"Her instruction begins at dawn and ends at dusk. I have no time to speak to her, there is an instructor with her almost every moment of the day." He sighed softly, eyes sliding away from Hinata again to stare at the ground.

Half moons formed against Hinata's palm as her nails dug into her flesh, making her flinch, feeling each throbbing wave of pain acutely, satisfying her desire to hurt something.

"…I have been so caught up… in my own affairs." Hinata whispered softly, looking down, the shame settling on her shoulders heavily. "I have forgotten my duty as her sister. Without me there to distract oto-san…" Sighing softly she leaned her head back against the tree trunk behind her, closing her eyes, looking into the darkness swirling with color.

"…I am without any excuse."

"Stop. Hinata, you can do nothing-"

"I haven't even contacted her…" the sound of weakness there was all too clear. At her words there was another silence as thoughts flowed through each of their minds.

Slowly she opened her eyes. "I should go."

"You'll never be allowed within the estate." Neji frowned. "You've been disowned, not unless you want to talk to your father-"

"No, not like that." Hinata smiled sadly. "I'll have to sneak in."

* * *

"You want to what?" Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in order to release some of the stress that had decided to jump on him at that moment.

Hinata looked confusedly at him from across the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around her tea cup, kitten sitting quite happily on her shoulder, playing with her hair.

"…I need to sneak into the Hyuuga compound tonight." She repeated, cocking her head at him, puzzled by his hesitance. It wouldn't be that hard. With her byakugan she could see any guards from every angle.

Sasuke on the other hand just stared at her, well aware that every byakugan user in the village was stationed at that house to protect the new princess, who was younger than Hinata… and though he hated to admit it, considered more valuable.

He hadn't had to ask Neji to know that.

"Do you realize how impossible that might be?"

"No." Hinata admitted, smiling at him knowingly. "That's why I want to try?"

Sighing heavily the Uchiha turned and gave the kitten on her shoulder a glare as if he were the cause of all the trouble.

"Why?"

At this the Hyuuga heir slouched slightly in her chair, reaching up to pet the kitten on her shoulder, her fingers moving through his soft fur gently, a comfort to her bruised pride.

"…my sister, Sasuke. I need to speak with her. It's only a few months before we face each other in battle- it's been over a year since I last spoke to her." She sighed, pressing her lips together into a thin line as he looked at her silently, an impassiveness he hadn't used with her for months crossing his features at the mention of her sister.

"…she… doesn't want to be part of the battle, I know she doesn't want the title of heir any more than I ever did."

This was followed by a look of confusion from the Uchiha as he prossesed the information, frowning slightly.

"What does she want then?'

Hinata smiled then, the memories of Hanabi's brilliant lavender eyes lighting up at the mention of what she thought was her destiny, like Naruto's fate to be Hokage.

"She wants to be an Anbu captain… Someone to fear, someone the other villages will know not to want on their trail." She sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly as a frown washed away her smile, the kitten sitting on her shoulder cocked his head, as if puzzled by her changing expression.

"She's still so young." Hinata mumbled, feeling a shiver pass through her at the memory of how young she was once too, and what struggles she had faced. "Oto-san must be destroying her with the amount of work required to keep me from the clan…"

"What would talking to her do?" Sasuke studied her over the rim of his coffee cup, studying the way her eyes softened slightly at the mention her sister, an expression she did not use even while speaking of Neji or her best friends. The only other time that had ever happened had been when her lips had formed the word _oka-san. _

And… he had noted, while blushing furiously, when she said his name.

"…I want to know, if either of us should forfeit the match." Hinata swallowed hard, looking up at him rapidly. "She will be a terrible opponent to face if Neji is right… I don't know if I can win against her, but perhaps she will let me, if she wants me to take the title off her hands."

Sasuke frowned, lowering his cup to the table, lips pressed into a thin line. "What about you? Do you want the title?"

Slowly those lavender eyes he loved so much drifted from his face to the marble table where they focused, glaring only slightly at the material as if it were the very essence of all pain she had ever endured.

"…I will take it." She nodded. "If Hanabi does not wish to wield such power."

"You don't want it." He could hear it, the moment she hesitated the way her voice rose and fell as the words left her mouth. The word power did not invite her to smile, but left a bitter taste on her lips. If he had kissed her right then, perhaps he would have tasted it too. Metallic and cold yet warm with hatred. A little like blood.

Hinata shook her head slowly, only one shake from right to left. "No." she smiled weakly, looking up at him through her lashes. "But then again… what right have I to leave my clan to rot the way it is currently doing?"

For a moment they stared at each other, and Sasuke came to the realization that he too had done something that he had always loathed of himself, forced by the sense of pride he had been given from childhood to avenge his clan.

Sickened, all the while, by his own actions to achieve such a goal. It wasn't about want, or even need any more, not for people like them.

It was about fate.

Tsunade's words from nearly half a year ago weren't lost to him either, the memory of her intense blue gaze burned into his mind. _"I need her to save the rotting clan that is her family."_

"Hn." He grunted softly, lifting his cup of coffee up to his lips again, studying her as she tickled behind one of the kitten's ears, crooning softly, eyes glazed with thoughts concerning their conversation. He didn't have to know her as well as he did to know that she was bothered.

"Fine." He muttered, closing his eyes, knowing somehow he would regret what he was agreeing to. "We'll figure a way to sneak into the compound tonight."

At his words Hinata turned to look at his sharply, eyes widening with mirth at his slightly gloomy expression.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun." She teased softly, leaning her chin on her hand as she cocked her head to the side. "Are you really that nervous about sneaking into my old house?'

The young man almost wrinkled his nose at her, but managed not to, instead he looked at her intensely over the rim of his coffee cup, eyes dramatically accented by the steam rising from it's dark depths.

"Your _father _is in there." He grunted, allowing himself only half a smirk. "No one is going to blame me for being nervous."

"…I must agree." Hinata laughed suddenly, leaning over the table to kiss his forehead before standing up. "We better get ready then."

"You're telling me."

Without another word the grumbling Uchiha downed the rest of his coffee and followed her and Sasu out the door.

If they were going to sneak into a house full of high ranked byakugan users they had better be ready.

* * *

"You're going to do what?' Sakura sighed, rubbing her face tiredly, wondering if perhaps she had heard wrong. Hinata looked back at her, slightly condescending in her stare. "I-it's not so crazy-"

"You've got to be kidding!" Ino shouted, nearly jumping to her feet. "They can all see through 'walls' might I remind you!"

"Shut up!" Sakura grunted, grabbing the blonde by the wrist and giving her a sharp tug back down onto her chair.

The coffee shop owners were shaking their heads behind their counter, having expected some sort of loud explosion from their side of the café the moment the three had arrived and sat down. They knew more about the live of those three kunoichi than anyone they had ever served for. And it was all their fault.

"I know they c-can see through walls." Hinata mumbled, giving Ino a look that might have been arrogant if she hadn't been blushing slightly from all the yelling. "I'm one of them."

"Yes, one versus a handful doesn't seem like the best idea." Sakura pointed out, flicking her on the forehead, only because Hinata refused to move back sharply and look startled.

"Well, that's why I'm asking for your help." Hinata put in slowly, watching their expressions change from outraged to utterly dead with shock.

"Wait, wait." Ino laughed, sounding a little choked. "You're telling us, you want our help in sneaking into a house full of Byakugan users… which kinda loathe us?"

"They d-don't loathe you…" Hinata began slowly, wondering if that was true.

Somehow she had said the wrong thing.

"I can't believe this!" Ino shouted again, standing for the second time in the last ten minutes. Sighing loudly Sakura rolled her eyes to the heavens and grabbed the blonde's wrist again to drag her back down. She would have stood up and given her a loud smack around the face if her legs weren't aching from still trying to heal properly.

"Honestly, have some control." She grumbled, forcing the seething blonde to settle down and glare at the table, arms crossed, pouting without much shame.

"You don't have to help if you d-don't want to." Hinata replied to Ino's loud grumblings, pressing her lips together into a thin line. "I was only enquiring."

"Of course we'll help." Sakura replied, thumping Ino on the head before she could open her mouth and protest. "Though, it might be better if you had Tenten and Neji to help you with it. Not only is Neji a second Byakugan user, but they both know the compound a lot better than either of us do… and I can hardly move."

"You'd only be stationed outside to let me know if anyone is coming in or not… like my father for instance." Hinata mumbled, stirring her untouched cup of tea in front of her. "I would have asked Neji and Tenten as well, but they were sent out on a mission earlier this morning. It wasn't planned, apparently something went wrong with an earlier team of gennins and they were sent to help." She sighed, rubbing between her brows. "Demo… if you really don't want to-"

"Oh be quiet." Ino sighed suddenly, making both girls turn to look at her confusedly, and slightly irritated. "Of course we're going to help, the least we can do is be with you when you die." She grunted. "So I can say 'I told you so' at the last moment."

"You're so pleasant today." Sakura commented, sighing loudly matching Hinata's own exasperated look.

* * *

The kitchen was steaming, heat rushing out of it in big loud poofs of white as it flooded the halls. Sasuke, with Sasu sitting comfortably on his shoulder stared at the image of it, wondering if Hinata was all right inside, because, very much like the cat clinging to his shoulder, he had no intention of going into that furnace.

"Uh… Hinata…" he called, stuffing his hands in his pockets from lack of anything else to do with them. "…are you okay in there?"

"Fine!" Came the quick call, and then the sound of something being stirred as the spoon hit the sides of the pot. "I'm just making something special is all." She called coming out of the fog, undoing her apron as she walked.

"Does it involve steaming, by any chance?' Sasuke asked sarcastically, waving away the clouds of rolling white mist as she walked towards him, petting Sasu as she reached him. "Perhaps." She smiled, turning to him after a moment.

Sasuke almost twitched, glancing at Sasu with slight contempt. 'Am I going to have to be competing for your attention with this guy? Because I will help him get lost if-" he stopped, his lips sudden occupied by something else.

Sasu jumped down from his shoulder and stared at the two clinging humans in front of him. Had he been able to speak he would have scoffed about how rude it was.

Sasuke on the other hand was busy… extremely busy. Panting heavily he pulled back for a moment, head swimming from Hinata's shocking display of physical emotion, her lips still caressing his as she pressed _him _against the wall, not the other way around.

"…what-" he began and was interrupted again, her body pinning him to the wall, lips crashing with his so forcefully he had to actually fight to get back into the argument they were having for not reason at all, fighting for dominance, her whole body working and being very effective at making his mind concentrate on nothing more than utter pleasure.

For the second time they pulled back for air, her lips trailing down his neck gently, playful nips making him gasp for breath hands tightening around her hips.

"N-not that I'm…. complaining.." he managed to whisper, swallowing hard as she slid her hands up across his back. "…d-demo…why-" Slowly she kissed her way up his neck to his lips again, leaving trails of dancing flame across his skin, aching sensations heightened at the sound of her soft breath against his ear.

"…you're not competing for attention, trust me." It was when her eyes focused on his that he realized just how red she was, but what caught his attention was the slightly dazed hungry look passing over her features, making his insides burn.

"…if you look at me like that any longer I may be tempted to have my way with you." He whispered softly, his lips catching hers suddenly as she giggled, hands sliding to touch his face as his kiss intensified.

"Tsk." She panted, allowing him to switch places, pushing her against the wall instead. "I was only trying to prove a point."

"…can't I prove mine?" And with that he decided this way of preparing for their espionage mission to the Hyuuga compound was probably the best way to go…

(a/n: no, not that wasn't a lemon, for crying out loud, come on, guys, get your heads outta the gutter! ( I know you were thinking it, yes I do.)

* * *

"It was rice balls?" Sasuke blinked as she packed the small items into a container, securing each one tightly with her sister's favorite dish of seafood stir fry. "Hai." Hinata nodded, still rosy cheeked from earlier in the day, trying not to remember their own steamy encounter.

He watched her silently, studying the red still tingeing her cheeks, amused beyond reason, asking without a single word what he was thinking.

"It's for Hanabi-chan." She replied, glancing up at him, only to turn another shade of red as his eyes focused on her intently, a smirk playing on his lips.

"S-s-she likes it… a-and I…w-wanted to give it to h-her." She stuttered, pushing down on the container to make it shut properly, shoving a lock of hair behind her ear in a very flustered manner.

"Hn." He replied, fiddling with a shuriken, making it dance across his fingers the way magicians played with coins. His smirk widened as she turned her back to him and undid her apron, revealing the dark outfit she had chosen to slip into the compound.

Black on black on black wasn't exactly what suited Hinata, there had to be some color for it to really seem like her, but he wasn't complaining at all. A high necked Japanese style tunic wrapped around her torso and hips, black leggings to her knees spilled from under, marred by the pouch with her shuriken and kunai attached to her thigh. The mesh shirt under the high neck spilled to cover her arms to her forearms, bandages wrapped around her wrists and down to her hands.

Well aware of him studying her she reached up, tightening her hair into a ponytail. "N-ne.." she began, irritated by her stuttering and the amount of power he suddenly had over her. "H-have you seen Sasu?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly, just one movement, left to right, eyes locked on her face and burning features, ignoring his own blush.

It always annoyed him that she got him to blush so much.

_Wasn't I the one making him stutter earlier? _Hinata grumbled mentally, finally dropping her hands from her hair to look up at him, pouting. "You're making m-me n-n-nervous."

He looked back at her half innocently. "Am I?"

"Sasuke."

"All right, all right." He smiled, watching her slowly smile back, blushing still. "Ready?"

"Sure…" she nodded, picking up the container and slipping it into the pack wound tightly around her torso for it. The warmth of the container seeped in through her clothes, letting her know just how cold it would be while she slipped into her sister's room.

She had to get there before it was too cold to eat, of course.

"Let's go."

(a/n: he's so bloody evil sometimes…)

* * *

Night time was not her favorite time, it was hard to see, for one, and even when she had been young she had always assumed that bad things happened during the night.

And being unable to walk did not help the matter.

Naruto laughed at her grumbling as he walked along, with her quite comfortable on his back. It always amazed him just how light she was.

"I can hardly see, and yet Hinata thinks I will be of some use."

"Well, her father is out of the house right now, ne?"

"Hai…" Sakura allowed, grumbling for no reason. It was a little chilly, as summer was ending soon, and the moon didn't look particularly pleasant, though at that very moment Hinata was disagreeing with her off on the other side of town heading in the same direction.

"You can watch for his arrival." Naruto explained, a little puzzled by her own confusion.

"I was being a little sarcastic, just grumbling for no real reason, ya know." Sakura commented dryly, amused despite herself by the fact that he thought she didn't understand.

"Well, it didn't sound it, dattebayo… women."

"You love me anyway." She grinned, making him smirk, despite his own intention to keep a straight face.

"That'd be correct."

"You're both so sappy it makes me sick." A new voice grumbled as Ino came into step beside them, stretching lazily. "And if I had been an assassin you'd both be dead."

"Right." Sakura grunted, rolling her eyes. "Because we haven't already faced assassins before."

"You two are as great to be around as usual." Naruto sighed, stopping just short of entering the street on which the Hyuuga compound gates were.

"Speaking of assassins." Came a cold tone, making all three jump sharply. With a fluidity that made all three shiver in unison Sasuke and Hinata stepped out of the shadows of the nearby building, Sasuke, as per usual with his hands stuffed in his pockets and Hinata with her fingers up to her lips, blinking at them all.

"You're all late." Sasuke grunted, giving them a look. Ino and Sakura withered slightly, looking nervous.

"You're not carrying Hinata." Naruto grumbled, shooting him a look. "Teme."

"I have before, dobe."

"Ne…." Hinata began, catching everyone's attention quickly. "Shouldn't we maybe get to work?"

"She's right!" Sakura grinned, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's go!"

"Shs!" Ino hissed, bopping her lightly on the head. "And you say I'm loud."

* * *

"**Are you stationed, Sakura?" **Hinata enquired, back pressed against the wall on the side of the Hyuuga estate, byakugan looking silently through the material to the moving chakra points within.

"**Ready." **Came the voice on the headphone in her ear, the mic pressed against her cheek with medical tape supplied by the med nin herself.

"**Ino?" **Sasuke's voice enquired, sounding bored out of his mind.

"**Hai. I'm in position. Are there any guards heading my way?"**

"**Ne, there's one in your direction. He's the one that patrols the west wing." **Naruto stated.

Silently Hinata listened, watching each movement with careful calculation, knowing full well where her friends were and where the 'enemy' was. So far there was no reason for any of the Hyuuga within to activate their Byakugan, after all they did not expect an attack of any sort, but she knew from experience that for random reasons they did activate it. She did it herself, once in a while, when she was being careful, just to glance around.

They would be seen without question.

"**Take him out, Ino, and keep him in check, if you can. Is your body going to be okay where you are?**" Sakura asked, still watching the street from the tree across from the house's main entrance.

"**Fine, I'm still outside of the house itself." **She mumbled through the mic. Hinata flinched, watching the blonde scamper across the lawn and slide under the porch where the guard was walking, looking left and right, bland Hyuuga eyes scanning around suspiciously.

"**Do it now, Ino!" Hinata gasped. **

For a moment there was silence and the flickering images of Ino's chakra rolling out of her, knocking into the young man above her could be seen through Hinata's eyes.

Then there was silence again and she watched the young man jump down off the porch onto the lawn, heading directly towards Ino's body.

"…**oh no." **Hinata began, starting to stand.

"**Don't move." **Sasuke ordered suddenly, making them all freeze, watching from the other side of the garden, crouched low along the bushes in the corner of the wall.

The young man crouched down beside Ino's still body, fiddling with the mic until a new voice Hinata had never heard slipped through the airwaves to reach her.

"**All right, I've got him. This side of the estate is safe to cross unless you've not seen someone."** Ino's attitude said, but voice contradicted.

Hinata almost began to laugh nervously at the sound.** "…you're a man." **She giggled, making everyone snicker over the airwaves. Ino sighed. **"Hinata, so help me I'll take over your body-"**

"**I'm going in." **Hinata cut in suddenly, smiling still. With clear agility she started to climb the wall, using the vines that covered it from top to bottom like a latter to get her to the top.

"**Let me know if there are any changes."**

"**Roger." **The other's chorused.

It wasn't hard to keep an eye on the other Byakugan users. They all seemed pretty calm, even the young man taken over by Ino. He was a good looking fellow, Hinata didn't want to think about what fun Ino must be having going through his thoughts.

Breathing in and out rhythmically to keep herself in check she slid down the other side of the wall, landing at a crouch on the grassy side of the compound, looking around at the half familiar garden that decorated the one side of the estate. It was less used that the ones in the middle of the rectangular home.

Relocating herself she slipped over to the porch where Ino was, checking the girl's motionless body to make sure she was all right.

"Yo." Came the gruff voice of the young man, looking around slowly to make sure no one was around. "Ne, you'd better get moving. I can't stay this way forever, ya know."

"Hai." Hinata smirked, looking like she might start laughing again.

"Don't you start. Come on, hurry up." Ino grumbled, crouching down, hands twining to give her a boost up to the porch.

Smiling still Hinata ran at her, using the force of their combined speed and energy to throw her up, landing lightly on the porch railing, looking around to make sure there were no other security guards before giving Ino a wave and sliding into the hall quietly, vanishing into the uncomfortably familiar darkness that was her old home…

_I'm coming, Hanabi… I'm coming…

* * *

_

Clearly, clearly it was just a chapter to shove the plot along a little. The next one will be detailing Hanabi and Hinata's conversation and it will have the skip leading to their battle.

I only see perhaps another five chapters before the story is over, my dears. Isn't that wonderful.

If it all makes you happy I will let you all know now that there is a sequel in mind HOWEVER.

I am warning you all NOW.

…it is lacking in a lot of fluff and will be rated a hard, solid, shocking M.

and I am urging anyone who is not old enough to read M material not to read it please. There will be quite a bit of violence and…well you can guess.

Please read and review… and be nice, I'm having an off day.

-inky.


	31. Chp 3: Sister's Affection

**Well, the last chapter sucked badly, but it was really, really blocking me so I decided I was just going to post the damn thing, get it over with and move on with my life in hopes of writing just a lil better, ne? **

**Seems to have worked, at least to some extent. It so happens that I feel miserably ill right now and may have to finish this chapter because of lack of things to do if I stay home ((grins)) you may all be in for a better chapter. Hurrah. **

**Anyway. Read, and Review, and please leave a note concerning your feelings on the sequel. **

* * *

Dark days often followed dark nights, she had grown to learn this over time… mainly that year, listening to the whisper of the wind while mentally licking her open wounds and struggling to lay down, every muscle in her body making her almost sob as she settled onto the bed, flinching with the movement.

Yes, she knew about dark nights.

This one was no different from the 200 or so last nights she had spent without her sister. The first had been bad, she had thought that perhaps she would die if it continued. Pain from the physical and mental strain pushed on her the moment Hinata left the compound had left her so worn she had dropped off to bed without bothering to change, sobbing quietly even in her sleep.

It was like loosing mother all over again… not that she remembered mother, she always wished she did… mainly when she watched Hinata's face soften as she spoke of her, while watching the cherry blossoms fall in their courtyard.

She wished then that she knew what made her sister's often anxious face glow so much. What kind of woman she must have been, to bring so much joy to a person.

It wasn't everyday that she blamed herself for the death of such a woman. There were days when her logic kicked and she knew, through and though that there was nothing she could have done, a babe had to be born… even at the price of it's mother's life.

But other days… days and nights like the current one, they were different. They were the days she allowed herself to cry, if only a little, while curled in bed, sobbing from both the continuation of pain from her bruised body and battle worn hands, as well as the hollow empty hole that her sister had filled for so long, and had been emptied at her disappearance.

It hurt to know that Hinata had not demanded to see her. Not even once. But then she would remember that Hinata never demanded anything… Hinata wasn't like that.

Crying softly into her pillow Hanabi twisted in her bed, flinching as the lightening bolts of agony rolled down her spine where bruises from the pellet sized orbs of rubber thrown at her by her trainer had connected.

His speed was legendary in the sand, his accuracy enough to rival Tenten, and he had demanded that she dodge. It had taken all evening to manage to dodge even one of the rubber spheres and her body had paid the price in full.

There wasn't anywhere she could rest on that wouldn't press on the bruises. Whimpering she turned again, sighing softly as some of the bruises were released as she lifted her weight, holding it steady despite the feel of her arms wanting to give way.

Chin ups and push ups had built enough muscle there over the months, but they still ached… it always ached.

The thoughts of melancholy were interrupted suddenly by the whisper of a shadow crossing over the window, flashing by, disturbing the steady light that the moon provided, forcing on the training that had become instinct over the last few months to activate.

Her byakugan tightened around her eyes, veins pushing around the slightly wary features. Breathing in and out slowly she lifted herself out of the bed and crouched down beside the flowing sheets, back pressed against the wall where the window was, watching the shadows on the floor.

A voice inside mocked her, whispering of the paranoia that had come over her the last few days. The instructors had been speaking consistently of how others would want to get rid of her, of how "others" did not want a powerful female head to lead the Hyuuga.

Even as a child as old as herself she felt the tension of those words, despite knowing they were using a form of traditional manipulation to get her to use her training consistently.

It didn't matter, however… her paranoia always won out in cases like this. In the night when she thought she saw something moving through the shadows.

Better safe than sorry, that was what it always said. Why? Because there was no one there anymore for her to call to for aid.

Hinata's room was empty beside her own, and Neji… Neji wasn't allowed-

A shadow filled the square of light that was her window, they weren't being very careful. It was like they were under the assumption she was sleeping. Frowning slightly at the insult of being sent someone so useless as an assassin Hanabi slipped her hand under her pillow, pulling out a kunai there, cold against her skin, the smell of metal meeting her nose.

Slowly the window was opened, the sound sliding softly, letting the wind of the night fill the room, making her shiver slightly, breathing in the smell of blossoms from the garden outside.

Jaw clenching she repositioned herself, crouching there, muscles tense and ready to spring.

The figure didn't move, crouched on the window sill in silence, looking into the room curiously, making the tension triple. For a moment panic overtook the small Hyuuga and she was ready to scream. What if they knew where she was already?

"You've gotten a lot better, haven't you, Hanabi-chan…"

Hanabi felt the air escape her, a gasp as her hands dropped the kunai and she scrambled to her feet, almost tripping over herself as she faced the dark figure crouching on her window sill, a mask pulled over half her face couldn't disguise the soft voice, nor the mane of dark blue black hair that spilled down her back, moving with the breeze of the night.

They stared at each other for a moment, lavender on lavender, silent and unsure of what to do, thoughts racing so fast it hurt to try to keep up. The younger of the Hyuugas felt her lips tremble, tears flooding her vision, making it blurry despite her best intentions.

"Onee-chan…"

Hinata stared at her, feeling her breath caught in her throat at the thin little thing that was her sister stared at her, looking smaller than she remembered, thin, each muscle outlined in the darkness, her hair plastered to her head as if someone had dumped a bucket of water on her. The dark circles under her eyes were huge, looking worse than if someone had punched her.

And the bruises… on the skin that was visible were obvious.

"Oh God, what have they done to you-"

"Onee-chan!" suddenly Hanabi grabbed at her, cutting off her words sharply. Hinata flinched, grabbing onto the sides of the window to remain balanced, lowering herself quickly to the ground, holding the trembling little girl in her arms, trying not to cry herself.

Hanabi was sobbing, the tears pouring out of her in a way Hinata had never seen her do. Always the stronger of the two she would shed her tears in silence, and cry less often than Hinata ever did, with quite dignity, the way her father wanted.

This frail little being that she had uncovered wasn't her sister… they had broken her.

"Oh Hanabi… forgive me for not coming sooner…" Hinata whimpered, feeling her own tears sliding down her cheeks as she clung to the sobbing bundle in her arms. "I'm so sorry… Gomen…gomen…"

"I m-m-missed you so m-much…t-they w-won't let me t-talk to anyone a-a-anymore-" Hanabi whimpered, breathing in the familiar smell of lavender and good food that clung to her sister always, the familiarity making her whole body ache as it relaxed into her hold.

"Neji told me." Hinata whispered, pulling her up, like a child in her arms. She weight close to nothing, despite all the muscle. "I came the moment I realized what must have been happening… for some reason I didn't think they would treat you this way, I'm such a fool, Hanabi, forgive me." She lowered the girl onto the bed, looking at her through the sticky strands of tear stained hair, pushing each dark lock away with gentle fingers.

Hanabi stared at her, her expression unreadable in the darkness.

"Y-you sound, a l-little different…" she began, studying her older sister carefully, drawing back a little to get a good look at her.

Hinata blinked at her for a moment, smiling, rubbing her tears away. "Eh, it's been a long time since you last saw me…"

"Hai…" Hanabi nodded, looking about ready to burst into tears again. "I miss you. I do, a lot."

Hinata stared at her a moment, feeling her eyes fill with tears again. "I'm going to be coming more often, all right? I will, I promise you."

Hanabi's hands reached out to her, clenching her tightly. "You will? Please, please do. I can't stand being on my own anymore."

"I'll come as often as I can." Hinata nodded, heartbroken by the look of desperation on her sister's small face. "here." She added, using the excuse to look away, pulling at the container of food strapped to her back. "I brought you something." She whispered.

The smell of food nearly overpowered the small girl as she took the container, opening it to find the stir fry of shrimp and clams and well made rice balls. Her stomach gave a growl. They had been feeding her nothing other than the sickening health drinks and concoctions made by the nutritionist her father had hired months ago.

"Arigato!" she gasped, looking up at her sister, smiling weakly at her. Same old Hinata… sort of.

"…here." Hinata added, handing her the fork she had along with her, settling down on the side of the bed, watching the small girl devour the food like she hadn't eaten in over a month. Which was exactly how she felt most of the time.

"Ne…" Hanabi muttered between mouthfuls, looking up at her elder sister with new found respect. The outfit, and her eyes stated she had changed, and the fact that she managed to sneak into the house unnoticed.

"Why are you here?"

Hinata flinched, feeling the unintended insult of the question. Sighing slightly she turned away, rubbing her neck. "It's only a few months before we fight, Hanabi-chan." She whispered, glancing at the calendar on the wall opposite her sister's bed.

The youngster followed her gaze and stared up at the calendar as well. It was mid September…they were fighting in almost exactly two months. Suddenly her appetite seemed to vanish and she sighed, putting the fork down.

"…I…d-don't want to-" she began, reaching up to try and stop the steady flow of tears beginning at the corners of her eyes.

Slowly her elder sister pulled her into another hug, drawing her into her lap. "Shss.." she whispered, the way she had before, when they had been so young that nothing but academic grade reports had been their worry. "It's okay." She sighed, feeling her curling up against her, burying her face in her clothes.

"I'll forfeit… if you want the title." Hanabi stated suddenly, pulling away to look at her, staring at her. "Or I'll fight, if you don't want it. I'll do either one, Hinata- I'll do it."

Hinata stared at her, studying her wide eyes. Slowly she shook her head. "We're going to fight for it, Hanabi." She whispered. "And if you wish you can forfeit. The title is mine to bear. I do not want you burdened in such a manner… And." She added, looking away, frowning. "I am no longer the small child they can control. If I take over, there will be changes." She turned to look at her again, eyes narrowed with determination Hanabi had never seen. "I promise."

Slowly the younger girl nodded, surprised. "You've changed so much, Onee-chan." She whispered, watching that slight smile that was tingeing her eyes at all times.

"Have you been training?"

Hinata smirked, an expression never before seen on her face by the younger Hyuuga. "All day, everyday, even when I wasn't supposed to." She smiled, shaking her head. "Sasuke and everyone else were so mad at me."

Hanabi blinked, staring at her. "Sasuke? Uchiha? He's training you?"

Blushing furiously the elder sister looked about the room. "Ano…" she began, sounding more like her old self. "I- well he…"

With a graceful whisper the afore mentioned Uchiha suddenly landed in the middle of the room, crouching there looking at the pair of Hyuugas with calm eyes dark as the night he came from. "Hanabi-san." He nodded, respectfully noting the girl's huge gaze, staring at him in something like shock (and soon to transform into slight adoration).

"Hinata." He added, turning to the blushing Hyuuga. "Ino is loosing control over the guard, we had better go."

"Hai. I'll be right there." She nodded, watching him slip out again into the hall to watch for any other guards to come.

Hanabi grabbed her sister's arm as she stood. "Hinata? Without a suffix?" She whispered urgently, staring at her.

The girl blushed harder. "Eh… it's a long story-"

"You have a boyfriend?! And I didn't even know?!" Hanabi gasped quietly, looking both shocked and ecstatic. "This is amazing!"

"Hey!" Hinata shushed. "Tsk. It isn't that amazing." She grumbled good naturedly. "I'll come back when I can, all right?"

Hanabi only nodded repeatedly, letting Hinata kiss her gently on the forehead. "Sleep. I'll bring more food with me next time." Her Onee-chan whispered before turning around and following Sasuke out the window smoothly, closing it quietly behind herself.

Hanabi stared at the window, as if everything that had happened were in danger of evaporating into the very make up of her dreams. But the bowl of food was still in her lap and the smell of lavender still lingered in the air.

It had been no dream, there was no doubt about it.

Smiling slightly the younger Hyuuga grabbed her fork again, determined to finish her food before it got too cold.

Somehow, the pain of the bruises didn't feel so bad anymore.

* * *

"**Take your bloody time, honestly." **Ino's voice grumbled. **"Do you realize what I had to do to get that damned guard not to yap about you sneaking into the house to talk to your sister? I had to agree to go out on a date with him!"**

Hinata smirked, glancing over at Sasuke. Together they rolled their eyes to the heavens in frustration, slipping over the wall easily and landing at a crouch on the other side.

Naruto, Sakura and Ino were on the other street under one of the neighbors trees. Ino continued to rant as they approached.

"**Do you hear me? This may make Shikamaru really angry! And I did all for you!"**

"Give it a rest." Hinata replied, feeling more outspoken than usual at seeing her little sister, although not happy, at least safe…for the most part.

"You'd have gone out with him even if he 'hadn't' asked." Sakura grunted, rolling her eyes.

Ino smirked back at them, removing her headpiece in an all too smug manner. "Well, I did get you a willing spy for your missions in that house though, if you ever want to sneak in again. A loyal follower of the rightful heir, I hear." She smirked, winking at Hinata, who blinked back at her in surprise.

"Nani?"

"We got to talking while I was in his head." Ino continued, ignoring Naruto's scoff. "Yeah, cuz he couldn't escape you."

"He said that there were quite a few of the members of the household who disagreed with your father's way of dealing with you- as well as the elders. I must agree, they sound like a bunch of old hags."

"Which is what they are." Sakura pointed out.

"That's interesting to know…" Hinata blinked, playing with her hair thoughtfully. "If that is true, perhaps going back won't be as hard as I thought."

"Going back?" Naruto enquired, watching as she stuffed their equipment back in her bag. "Hai." She muttered, sounding quieter instantly.

The other three exchanged quick looks of confusion as Sasuke studied her slightly trembling fingers.

"How was your sister, Hinata?" he muttered after a moment, watching her sigh through the shadows.

"…I…" she began slowly, stopping her continual movement for a second to stare at the ground, images of Hanabi's tears and thin body making her want to cry again.

"…n-not good…" she admitted, reaching up to rub the tears threatening to spill away. "I should have gone so much sooner… I should have never left her there alone."

The others stood silently, looking worriedly at each other, the wavering tone with which she spoke saying a lot.

"If you need to go back any time, let us know." Ino mumbled, looking put out. "We'll help you get in."

Hinata smiled slightly, glancing up at them from her position lower down, stuffing their things back into her back pack.

"Arigato."

* * *

Back at home, in Sasuke's room they stared up at the moon they hadn't been fully capable of admiring before while running around on the Hyuuga's compound, too busy trying not to get caught to stare at the large orb.

"She looked… very thin." Sasuke admitted slowly, playing softly with her hair, running his hands through it repeatedly, adoring the feel of it's silky strands slipping through his fingers like water.

Hinata closed her eyes, bringing forth the image of her sister, sighing softly at his true analysis. "You're right." She whispered. "She…was so much stronger before."

"They're working her too hard. By the time you two face each other, she won't stand a chance at all…"

"I can't have her humiliated that way." Hinata whispered, opening her eyes to look at him. "They're not even feeding her properly, Sasuke… you should have seen the way she ate while I was there. It was like… she hadn't eaten in so long." Her eyes searched his, the worry there making him anxious. There was so little they could do for the prisoner within the estate, and yet the urgent need to do 'something' was still there, on her face.

"We'll go in again this week sometime." He nodded. "We'll sneak in things she might need, maybe she will improve before the match."

Hinata smiled, glad that he was willing to agree to help. Sighing softly she buried her face in his clothes, breathing in the obviously masculine smell of him, sending tingling sensations down her spine.

"…Hinata…" he breathed suddenly, making her look up at him, light eyes enquiring silently.

"…what will happen… when you regain your status?" he muttered, looking up at the ceiling instead of her in hopes of keeping her from seeing the slight worry there.

The question rendered her utterly speechless, leaving her to stare at him, lips parted to let something out, though what exactly she didn't know.

For as long as she had been working on regaining her status as the heir of the clan she hadn't known what the result would be…

Most likely, it would involve living on the compound again.

"I don't know." She lied softly. He knew the lie was there, and closed his eyes, refusing to look at her and acknowledge the obvious refusal to answer. He couldn't fathom what he would do if they faced the reality that she might be leaving, more or less, in a few months.

It wasn't like she was leaving him, per say… but living alone again… it would just make him ill.

Biting her lip slightly she lay down beside him again, listening to his steady heart beat under her, closing her eyes, letting the rhythm continue steadily, drawing her to sleep.

"I'll find a way to stay. I won't leave." She stated sleepily, making him start, eyes opening to stare at the moon again, surprised.

"I'll stay… I promise." She sighed, curling into him a bit more, already slipping into her dreams.

Sasuke didn't move, didn't respond or even pretend he had heard, but continued to listen to her soft breathing, her words echoing in his mind, frightening and yet so relieving at once.

_I'll stay… I promise. _

A large part of him was aching to believe it.

* * *

Summer was gone.

The sun had begun to pay fewer visits, and with its absence the cold had flowed in, drawing the white powder of snow along with it, knocking fall right out of the way, the leafs that had dropped during the last few months hidden under the giant piles of white.

Hinata stared out the window, pulling a sweater on silently as she did so, smirking at the sight of solidified droplets encasing the branches of the tree outside. It was all so bright, and so familiar.

Oka-san had told her once, a long time ago that she was a child of winter, of everything bright, and pure and cool, the way that cool water over a burn felt. She was the coolness that would soothe, and warmth like the fires in grates all over the houses when they were needed.

She was both, a perfect mixture of the two.

Childishly she walked over to the window, blowing softly against the glass to write her name in the fog that rose up, scribbling it haphazardly along.

"Meow?" Sasu looked up at her from the ground, still tiny. He hadn't grown at all during the last few months, and after enquiring at the pet shop as to why she had been told that that was normal. He wouldn't get much bigger than he was.

Somehow Sasuke had looked slightly disappointed. "I had hoped he would stop being so damn cute and you'd forget about him." He sighed, teasing. Hinata had just rolled her eyes. The continual argument about the cat had never ended. She had a sneaking suspicious that it was because to prove him wrong she often used physical methods. Sasuke was not dumb, not at all.

"Come, Sasu-kun." she murmured, bending down to pick up the little black fluffball. "Let's go have some breakfast, ne?"

Quietly she peeked into Sasuke's room to catch him still curled under the blankets, a pile of warmth and dark hair. Smiling she propped Sasu up on her shoulder where he sat comfortably and walked over, sneaking as quietly as she could, determined to make the stoic Uchiha avenger jump.

With a squeak of surprise she was suddenly snatched into the covers that flew over her and his arms were suddenly there, dragging her in. Somewhere along the way Sasu had ended up on the ground, grumbling in his kitty way about abuse.

"Drat!" Hinata giggled, feeling his kisses running down her neck in the dark. "I almost had you!"

"No you didn't." Sasuke scoffed. "I heard you ages ago."

"Drat! Drat!" she sighed. "I'll get you one day!"

"Sure you will." He allowed, kissing her hungrily, quite content not to have breakfast if he could continue with his current occupation. "When I let you." he added, cutting her off before she could protest.

Breathless and a little red in the face the disowned Hyuuga laughed, kissing his nose and then, in a very proper manner stated. "I'm sorry, Sasu is waiting for me to give him breakfast."

Sasuke mocked an aching heart. "Oh… ouch. That was low." He crooned. "I knew that cat was trouble."

"Well, he _does _have a striking resemblance to you, you know."

"Touché." The last comment managed to get him to chuckle slightly, pushing the blankets off of them both and allowing her to escape. "All right, go feed your precious cat."

"And what would you like for breakfast then?" she added, straightening out her blouse and fixing her hair with her fingers, sticking her tongue out at him quickly as he stretched out on the bed, so comfortable in her presence that he didn't give a damn if she thought he was silly. "Ne… whatever is fine."

"All right." Hinata nodded, scooping up the irritated Sasu, apologizing loudly enough for Sasuke to hear.

"Gomen no sai, he can be very childish sometimes." She nodded at the cat, who flicked his tail decidedly.

"Tch!" Sasuke grunted, rolling out of bed, smirking as she vanished down the stairs, still taking about him to the cat of all people.

Grabbing a shirt off the pile of folded laundry by his bed he followed after her, listening to her looking through the cupboards quietly, humming under her breath some tune or other that he had heard her hum before.

"What are we up to today anyway?" he enquired, grabbing the cup of coffee sitting on the table as usual, along with her tea. He watched her work quietly, all too glad for the coffee in the cold kitchen, which he knew would soon grow warm as she began to get the stove going.

"Preparing to sneak into Hanabi's room again." Hinata reminded him, glancing over her shoulder. "It's only ten days before the battle." She muttered, frowning slightly, letting out a sigh as she grabbed some eggs from the fridge. "I need to make sure that cut on her arm didn't infect in the last week. And I need to supply her with some more food. She's just gained about enough weight to be back to normal, I think."

"And your father hasn't noted anything?" Sasuke frowned, slipping into the chair, ignoring Sasu, who jumped off of Hinata's shoulder and walked over to him on the table.

"No. I asked about that last time we went." Hinata sighed. "Hanabi says she hasn't seen him in the last few months. Probably he never realized just how sick that old witch he got to make her food was making his prize daughter." She grumbled, smashing an egg irritably.

"…the impudence of the man…"

Sasuke blinked at her over the rim of his coffee, a little startled by her words. "Bravo. That's possibly the second most rightfully angry speech I've heard you let out." He smirked, watching her glance back at him, blushing. "Well, it makes me a little angry."

"I'm not blaming you at all." He frowned. "Hanabi looked ill last time I saw her."

"She's getting better. I should be worried." She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck slightly. "Hanabi has always been the stronger fighter."

"No." he cut in, shaking his head. "She's been the more reckless one. Your problem is going to be your hesitance to hurt her." He pondered that, knowing full well Hinata's blows wouldn't even be half of their usual power while facing her sister. "Perhaps you should consider just putting on a show for the elders, let them think you're fighting and then have Hanabi withdraw." He shook his head. "They wouldn't expect you to be in full control of the situation."

Hinata smirked, stirring the egg in the pan, glancing out the window at the freshly fallen snow.

"I'll ask her what she wants to do about it today. Maybe we really will spar, just to see what happens."

"I've no doubt you're superior." Sasuke frowned slightly, looking at her with a serious expression. "You've had more years to improve."

"Well, that's good." Hinata nodded, letting out a laugh. "I'm supposed to win, after all."

* * *

"Neji?" Tenten frowned, watching him staring out the window, his face completely blank of all emotion.

His bedroom was cozy, extremely so, almost to the point of being too hot, but not quite. And, at that particular moment she didn't feel at all uncomfortable, curled up in 'his' blankets with a book in her hands.

Most of the day had dwindled away on half paying attention to the story she was reading and trying not to stare at him as he worked on something or other… earlier that morning it had been cleaning his weapons, each delicate knife had been carefully cleaned, sharpened and glazed by his patient smooth hands.

But somewhere along the way while she tried to focus on her reading he had stopped working and was staring out instead, bland eyes showing their lavender hue more in contrast to the white snowfall outside.

She could hardly believe it was December already.

"Hm?" he responded lazily, hands tucked into the folds of his white sweater. It looked good on him. Tenten bit her lip slightly, forcing herself not to sigh as she stared. Sometimes it was torture to look at him…

"Ano… are you okay?" she reached up, fiddling with her hair pins, irritated by the tightness spreading across her scalp. Maybe it was that she was half sleepy that her hair was being annoying.

Resisting the urge to let it down she propped her chin up with one hand, watching him glance back at her slightly, puzzled. "Hai… Why do you ask?"

"You seem very thoughtful." Tenten replied, shrugging, reaching up again to fiddle with the clips in hopes of lessening the strain. "What are you thinking about?'

The usually cold Hyuuga watched her fingers playing around with the dark strands of hair that were at that moment being deceptively normal, but he knew better than to believe that. He had seen her hair down before, if only once. It was a lying cheat with a secret weapon of beauty hiding within it.

He swallowed, hoping she wouldn't let it down…and wishing all at once that she would.

"Nothing much, demo perhaps I should be thinking about Hanabi and Hinata's match later this month." He frowned, turning away to stare out at the snow again. "Last time I saw Hanabi she had gained some of her old weight back. Hinata's help has greatly improved her, though the nutritionist claims it is her doing."

"I hate that old hag.' Tenten grumbled, sitting up properly suddenly, determined to take her hair out of the damn buns so that it wouldn't hurt so much anymore. "She told me I needed to loose weight. Honestly…" she sighed, glancing down at herself, consciously aware of every little defect.

Neji turned to look at her quickly, just at the wrong moment, the moment where her hair freed itself from the ribbons and flowed down around her neck and back in glistening brown waves tinged in red and black.

He had intended to say something that would be logical, perhaps even a little kind but nothing like what came out.

"You're perfect the way you are, don't listen to her." He breathed, blinking rapidly to try and regain some sanity.

Tenten stopped running her hands through her hair, startled into stillness by his words, heat beginning to rush up to tickle her cheeks.

She blushed, hard. "A-ano….arigato…Neji-kun." She mumbled, hiding behind the curtain of hair for a moment, eyes flickering over the rolling folds of 'his' blankets holding her down in a vice grip.

…_Oh my god, did he just… he just- I should maybe leave-_

For a moment the awkward stillness seemed to threaten to devour them but Neji was an expert at pretending to not give a damn and so he turned back to the window, blushing furiously himself and mentally beating the living daylights out of his stupid tongue while clearing his throat slightly. "If Hinata wins the fight that old hag of which you speak will have a lot to deal with. Hinata knows a lot about the human anatomy."

Letting out a sigh, whether of disappointment or relief Tenten didn't know, but she nodded, forcing on a smile that he couldn't see anyway. "I'm sure she will. Though Hanabi is impressive for her age, she is not up to our standards yet, and Hinata has improved greatly." She nodded, recalling the scene of the two cousins sparring against one another just a few weeks ago in the middle of the rain of autumn leafs.

"Hai." Neji nodded, smiling, the same memory flickering through his head. "She has improved much… I expect Hiashi-sama will be pleased."

"Not that I care about that." Tenten grunted, shoving herself to her feet smoothly, stretching out in an effort to rid herself of the sleepiness.

"that is a good point." Neji admitted, frowning at the window, ignoring her reflection on the slightly tinted glass. "I wonder what he will do when he realizes he can control neither of them if Hinata wins."

"Hopefully, he'll run for the hills." Tenten managed to laugh, making him turn, smirking slightly. "I just don't want him to hurt them anymore." He admitted, frowning slightly. "I cannot protect them from it."

Smiling, once more in the comfort of her friend Tenten sat down beside him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, looking out the window, unaware of his eyes traveling over her, breath catching in his throat.

"I'm glad you care for them the way you do." She nodded, sounding decisive. "Someone has to, and you do it because you want to." She turned to him and smiled. "I'm sure they're both proud to call you their cousin."

She stood then and surprising them both kissed his cheek. Stunned she pulled back, wide eyed. "Ne… I-" she began, unsure of what to do and what had made her do it. "G-gomen, I d-don't know what…"

Neji stared at her for a moment, hearing none of her words, the feel of her lips on his skin dominating his mind for a moment. Slowly he reached up to touch his cheek where their skin had made contact, straining to remain in control of his actions.

"…ne, Tenten." He muttered, surprising her by the sudden grip he had on her wrist. Startled she stared down at his smooth fingers wrapped around her flesh, feeling the heat engulf her face. Wide eyed she turned to look at him again, feeling him pulling her down rapidly, inches from his face.

Nervously he licked his lips, dazed Hyuuga eyes searching hers intently. "I… think I want to kiss you…" he admitted, watching her eyes widen slightly, staring at him, soft lips forming words that struggled to escape her grip.

"W-why?"

He shook his head. "…I think…" he began, hesitating, finding the answer as he said it. "…I think I might be in love with you…"

Her breath caught in her throat, the little gasp cut off by his lips crashing with hers, letting the fireworks explode within her, electrifying shocks running down her spine as his body moved to fit around her, holding her on his lap, tentative lips asking, begging for entry into her mouth, drowning her…

It was odd, she had always feared drowning, but this kind didn't feel that bad at all.

His fingers slid into her hair, playing with it, touching it, it felt good to have her there, to be able to touch every curve of her body, taste every part of her if he so wished. He hadn't even allowed himself to admit that he was craving her that badly, but truth didn't go away if you didn't admit it.

Heart racing he slid down her neck, kissing his way into the folds of her silky hair, breathing in the scent of her, feminine and powerful all at once.

"…I guess…" Tenten began, a little breathless as she whispered into his ear. "…Hinata was right, when she asked….about us…"

He smirked against her skin, she felt it, allowing herself to smile at the feeling, moving to whisper other things into his ear that had nothing to do with anyone but each other.

* * *

"Ne…" Ino mumbled, eyeing Tenten and Neji thoughtfully as they crouched on the other side of the Hyuuga compound's walls, keeping a sharp eye on the bigger group of guards patrolling the area.

"Those two seem…different." She admitted, cocking her head, watching them move around each other with a lot more ease.

Hinata looked up from her place under the tree opposite the compound, packing up the bag she would be giving Hanabi later on when the guards switched and Ino's current fanboy gave her passage into the Hyuuga Main House.

"They do… a little." She admitted, blinking slightly. She glanced over at Sasuke, slouching against the tree trunk, eyeing the two as well, out of curiosity.

With a simple glance she asked the question and he looked back at Neji and Tenten, eyeing them with more intensity.

As expected, unknowingly being watched Tenten stood to move along the wall, sliding her fingers over Neji's back as she passed by.

He smirked, glancing over at Hinata knowingly, watching her expression change to realization.

_Oh! _

Ino, completely unaware of the silent conversation passing right under her nose sighed and shook her head. "…I wish I could put my finger on it."

"I'm sure, one day, you will." Hinata nodded, smiling a little too happily at her, making the blonde twitch. "You know, when you smile like that… I get kinda nervous…"

"**Hinata, there's a problem." **Sakura's voice stated suddenly over the earpiece, making everyone stop, Neji and Tenten too glanced back at them from the wall, question covering their faces.

Sakura was stationed down the road with Naruto, making sure that no unexpected relative arrived and got the guards moving in a pattern that the team didn't recognize.

"**What is it?" **Hinata enquired, reaching up to press the earpiece against her skin.

Sakura, on the other side of the street watched as a handful of people headed in the direction of the compound, walking at a slow pace for there were many elderly Hyuugas with them. Amongst the bunch was Hiashi himself, speaking in low tones to one of the men.

"**It's your father." **Naruto grunted through the mic, making even Sasuke stand up straight, listening intently.

"**He's got the Hyuuga elders with him." **Sakura added, quickly running a count over all the heads. **"Fourteen of them, with your father it's fifteen, plus assistants."**

Sasuke frowned, glancing at Neji, reaching up to press the channel change on his headpiece to talk to him.

"**Didn't you know about this, Hyuuga?" **he grunted coldly, watching Neji and Tenten slide closer to the wall in an effort to hide themselves while the guards shifted about, getting ready to receive their guests.

"**This wasn't planned. They were to arrive in two days." **Neji retorted thinly, Byakugan searching through the Hyuuga compound, the green blurs ignored until he found Hanabi, walking down a corridor with an instructor in tow.

"**They're moving Hanabi to the foyer to greet them." **He added, exchanging quick confused glances with Tenten.

"**Neji-nii-san." **Hinata stated, standing up, looking down the street nervously. "**Wouldn't you be needed for something like this? What if your presence is missed…"**

"She's right." Tenten whispered beside him, shaking her head. "You should be in there."

"**Let Hanabi know somehow, if you can, that I was going to see her today." **Hinata sighed softly, rubbing between her brows in irritation. "**Try to find out what's going on? Please?"**

Sighing slightly Neji nodded to Tenten, reaching up to press his mic before starting to remove it. "**All right. I'll see what I can find out. I'll talk to you tomorrow about it sometime, if not I'll send Tenten." **

"**Goodnight, nii-san." **Hinata sighed, watching him hand the mic over to Tenten and jump down into the garden, vanishing from view.

"**So what are we going to do? Wait and see?" **Sakura enquired, watching as the group of elders and assistants began to flood into the Hyuuga compound. Dozen of Byakugan eyes with capabilities far beyond her understanding under one roof was not a good thing.

"**No, we had better leave. With so many important family members under one roof… the guards will be activating their Byakugan repeatedly." **Hinata muttered, sounding put out as she nodded at Ino who started to gather their things.

"**If we're caught there would be a lot of trouble." **

"**Okay." **Sakura grunted, looking around to make sure there was no one watching before jumping down off the tree she was sitting on to land at a crouch beside Naruto, who gave her a look.

"You're not supposed to be jumping around like that yet, your legs aren't fully healed."

"They'll be fine." She muttered, kicking around the slush that was all over the place. "The snow is like a cushion."

"Stubborn nin." He grumbled, grabbing her hand as they started to walk back towards the others.

They met halfway down the street and continued on in the general direction of town, talking very little.

Hinata didn't say a word, frowning slightly with worry.

"It'll be okay, Hinata… maybe, they just got there earlier without even informing your father." Sakura muttered, looking at her curiously. "Weren't they supposed to be there for the fight anyway?"

Hinata shook her head. "No… they weren't. They were supposed to be around for the ceremony afterwards to accept the new heir. If they're here for the ceremony, however." She flinched, the image of dozens of Byakugan eyes watching her every move, analyzing to see if she was strong enough to fight against her younger sister…

Strong enough to lead them all.

Her words drew silence from the others. Sasuke studied her as she walked silently, head bowed, looking away, anywhere but them.

Quietly he grabbed her hand, a rare show of public affection on his part.

Smiling weakly she glanced up at him and nodded, another silent conversation shared.

* * *

The bright lights of the foyer burned the moment she stepped into them. For some reason the rest of the house was always kept in near constant shadow, making it hard for anyone without Hyuuga eyes to see very well in it's intricate passage ways. She figured it was another self defense mechanism that her family had.

It would certainly explain the reason why so many of the children were frighteningly pale during their earlier years, only gaining color when they started to attend the academy and had strict training sessions out in the sun to learn to endure the weather.

Hinata was one of the few that didn't have enough training sessions to bring color to her face. Hanabi on the other hand had almost turned brown from so much sun, so much standing there in the silence of the heat, enduring it for the sake of keeping her father happy… and the instructors from scoffing at what they had been told would be a prodigy.

That was what she hated about them the most, the fact that they never thought she was as good as her father had told them.

"_They told me you were a prodigy, that you were to be the next female Hokage. I see no such power within you."_

She had fought and trained harder just because of that, falling into their game of manipulation despite her best attempts not to.

What could she do? She was young still…

The current instructor behind her scoffed as she lifted her hand up to block the bright lights, flinching.

"Show a little decency." He grunted, shoving her hand down. "You're the Hyuuga heiress, act like one."

"I'm not." Hanabi retorted. "I'm a default." She muttered thinly, glaring at him in defiance she had only been able to show lately, knowing that when her sister came to power the torture would end.

"Either way, they came all the way from their retirement to see you." he stated, nodding towards the front door. It was made of glass and she could see to the outer foyer where a crowd of old well dressed people stood, talking amongst each other quietly. Her father was among them.

She flinched. "The elders? What are they doing here?"

The instructor smirked, satisfied that he had shut up the arrogant little princess that was his apprentice for the time being.

"They've come to evaluate their 'default' heiress, of course."

The sound of the door opening behind them made the two turn to look sharply, watching Neji slip out from the hall into the foyer, closing the door quietly behind him. "Hanabi." He stated, eyes widening the moment he saw her. It had been months since he had been able to see his little cousin. She had grown much, and if Hinata's telling was true she had gained enough weight again to look normal, though still a little thin.

"Neji-nii-san!" she gasped, launching herself at him forcefully, arms wrapping around him in a hug that surprised both him and the instructor.

"Manners, get back here!" the instructor snapped, reaching to grab the girl. Neji's eyes lifted, glaring at him as if to dare him to reach further.

Swallowing his other sharp comments the supposed sensei bit his own tongue and stepped back, nodding his respects.

"Hanabi-chan." He muttered, turning his attention back to the young girl with her arms wrapped around his waist.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Hanabi gasped, pulling back to look at him, eyes searching his face. "I miss you and Tenten-chan and Lee-kun-"

"Shss…" He nodded, smiling despite himself. "We all miss you as well, Hanabi. In a few days things will change." He stared at her intently. "Your sister told me that tonight."

Hanabi looked at him silently for a moment, understanding immediately what he was saying. "Hai…okay."

"What is going?" Neji added, turning to look at the instructor with a sheer amount of coldness dripping from his voice.

The shinobi looked at him with an equally impassive expression. "The Hyuuga elders have arrived to evaluate Hanabi-hime." He replied calmly, nodding towards the child who's grip had yet to release him. "They wish to know what the chances are of the disowned outcast Hinata taking over the family."

Neji frowned. "Nani? Why-"

"I know nothing more, Neji-sama."

The young man frowned at him, irritated by the interruption. However he was not able to retort thinly to the man for the door opened suddenly and the elders flooded in, in pairs they walked towards Hanabi, studying her as she slowly loosened her grip on Neji and withdrew to stand on her own two feet, hands clenched by her sides, meeting their eyes uneasily.

"She is very young still." One of the women grunted, her eyes half closed, age spots covering her whole face, but she still had the stern expression of a higher ranked shinobi and Hyuuga.

Hiashi stood to the side, looking impassively at the proceedings until every elder had entered. Quietly he walked towards his daughter, looking at her for the first time in months, studying the strength built around her body. She looked thinner, certainly.

"Hyuuga Hanabi of the main House, heir to the family head." He explained, putting a hand on her shoulder without even looking at her.

Hanabi flinched, resisting the urge to shrug off his touch, disgusted by the cold tone with which he spoke.

"She's a mousy looking thing." One of the elders muttered, studying her through spectacles. "Will she be strong enough to fight off the claim her elder sister has on the title?"

"Hanabi is a prodigy of epic proportions." Hiashi replied softly, his hand tightening on Hanabi's shoulder, making her flinch slightly again.

"Her elder sister was a disappointment, in all ways including the marring of her own family name by her rebellious actions with Uchiha Sasuke."

"_The _last Uchiha?" another of the elders grunted, looking back into memory for the information on the child. "She eloped with him?"

"I wouldn't know." Hiashi replied solidly, as if talking about the child he once bore left a bad taste in his mouth. "She is no longer a Hyuuga."

"A child born of Hyuuga and Uchiha blood would hold interesting possibilities." The first woman muttered. "It is too bad that he did not properly ask for her hand."

Neji and Hanabi stood frozen, listening to the confusing conversation. There was no way for either of them to know on who's side the elders were on. Each one had confusing comments and questions and Hiashi didn't seem to be defending or attacking them.

"I do not think she will actually try to claim her title as heir, therefore that possibility is out of the question. Even if there ever was a child, this house cannot recognize it as one of it's own." He muttered, looking on calmly at the elders. "Without anyone to strictly train her Hinata is even more useless."

"You have neglected paying close attention to competition." One of the elders behind him grunted. "Story tells that she faced Akatsuki's legendary Itachi and Kisame."

"She nearly died." Hiashi replied, smiling thinly, the way a shark smiles before biting you. "There is nothing impressive about surviving by sheer luck."

Silence consumed the room for a moment, and the eyes of the elders once more returned to Hanabi, standing there looking terrified.

"We suggest that the fight be tomorrow." The woman stated again, looking up to meet Hiashi's eyes. "As the elders of the Hyuuga Family, we wish to see the potential of the two possible heirs." She stared at him. "Even if you do not think Hinata a possible candidate."

"She has not contacted me to state she wishes to challenge Hanabi for the title." Hiashi replied shortly, frowning at them. "I have no evidence to state she even wants a fight."

"Hokage Tsunade contacted me earlier this week." The second elder stated gruffly, lifting a scroll with the Hokage's name scribbled across it in kanji.

"Informing us that 'her' apprentice was ready to challenge the current heir for the title." He studied Hiashi. "It was scheduled to happen on the 22nd of December, correct?" he blinked slowly. "Five days before the eldest's coming of age birthday."

"I wasn't aware Tsunade-sama was training the exile." Hiashi replied slowly, eyeing the scroll with distaste.

"She isn't, or so she says, though she will not admit to who is."

_Uchiha. _Hiashi thought, frowning slightly. He had not been aware that the Hokage herself had the Uchiha working for her.

"If the two candidates accept the challenge for tomorrow then I see no reason to delay." Hiashi finally complied, unable to find a way to stall the situation.

It was no longer about saving the pride of the family, of having a safety net to keep it from dropping into ruin. He was well aware of the rumors of power that had spread about his disowned daughter, power and character that he had never seen before. In order to control the family he required someone strong in appearance but easy to manipulate. If the rumors were true, Hinata was the wrong heir still.

Hanabi had become the best one again.

"Excellent." The elder smiled. "Tomorrow at dawn we shall see the two elite of the clan fight for power." He peered at Hanabi, condescending in the sense that he believed she wasn't capable of being an elite.

Frowning openly, Hanabi stared at him, forcing herself not to look down, thoroughly confused by their words. She did not know what it was that they wanted. Did they want her or Hinata?

It seemed, they had truly come to do as the instructor said. They had come to evaluate and pick the best one of the two.

Like dolls in a store shelf, they were being examined… and the one they did not want, would be discarded.

* * *

_**Well… this one wasn't half as bad as the other one but STILL a bit sucky, I am so sorry about that. **_

_**I am working like crazy to get this story going, cuz I have a million and one ideas for the sequel, I really need to wrap this one up. **_

_**So, the fight will happen next chapter… and then, I think I might add one more chapter to wrap it all up and then one after that.**_

_**And then that's it. **_

_**Can you guys believe it!? Whoa. Lol, I'm almost done! ((does a happy dance))**_

_**Anyway. Read. Review!**_

_**-inky**_


	32. Chp 4: Fight Me

_**K, so this chapter... yeah, don't trust it. it needs a lot of work, as the chapter right before the finale, it's lame. I will rewrite it with more time later, after i've finished. **_

**_oh, and if you're reading this on June 2nd, if the finale hasn't already been posted, it will be posted in about an hour or two, lol, i'm almost done. _**

**_READ. REVIEW!_**

**_...please be nice..._**

* * *

_Running down the hill of tall grass dotted with black blossoms. The moon was full and huge in the dark sky, bright against the_

_starless darkness except for a ring around their mother moon, winking in and out as she breathed unsteadily, lungs burning, running, running, running, hands shaking even though she was pumping them at her sides, straining to run faster, something in the distance… always in the distance. _

_Struggling to drag in a breath she crumbled, felt her legs give way beneath her flinging her down onto the long grass where the black blooms were, like old blood that waved in the __midnight__ breeze. _

_Sweat glided down the side of her face, flushed cheeks streaked with dirt as she reached to wipe it away, the loose earth of the moss covering near the floor sticking to her skin because of the massive heat. _

_She stared around in utter awe, unaccustomed to finding herself in the nowhere of the massive black sky. It was nerve wrecking. Starless and flat it loomed ready to devour her completely. She would vanish forever, never to be found again- _

_"Do not dwell too long on the universe. You will loose yourself in its complexity." A voice whispered in her ear, making her turn sharply, scanning the tumbling endless hills of grass and black blooms, startled. _

_"What-" she whispered, turning again, shivering. "Who-?" _

_"No questions." The breath against her neck made the goose bumps rise on her flesh, making her turn again and again, panic trickling down her throat as her eyes met the nothingness of the whispering field, moving by the breeze. _

_"Listen, there's a heart beat." The voice continued, she recognized it as female and vaguely familiar. She had heard it before but her memory failed her, blocked by the overpowering smell of the nightmarish black blooms swaying in the breeze around her. _

_"Something from the darkness comes, a shadow with bright eyes of fire and vengeful intent and a snake to coil around you and strangle the love from your flesh." The voice continued. She could feel each touch of breath against her ear making the hair on the back of her neck rise on end as she spun around and around, listening to the rapidly beating heart beat and trying to calm her own sheer panic. _

_"Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Can you sense it?" _

_This being continued to talk, the voice rolling in waves down to reach her as if the smell of the black blossoms was in fact the very voice tickling her ear, making her pant heavily as she turned and turned, finding only the same image of gently dancing long grass and black flowers. _

_"The first test begins." She froze, feeling the touch of someone's hand on her shoulder, they were behind her._

_Gasping she turned around, struggling to find a weapon on her body and finding none, she shoved their hand away then froze, staring at… herself. _

_The young woman that looked back at her was nearly a mirror image, only her kimono was of a very elegant style, the kind that her mother had worn so many years ago- _

_Hinata froze, realization crawling over her flesh. _

_"Okasan-?" _

_"Shs. No questions." The woman seemed to retort sharply, her finger coming to rest on top of Hinata's own lips. Intent eyes fixated on her face. _

_"Listen. The chain that binds me has been weakened but not broken." At this she removed her hands from Hinata's own body and reached elegantly under her kimono, lifting the heavy off white material to reveal a thick chain, rusted slightly and cracked in places but still strong, wrapped tightly around her ankle. _

_Hinata stared, breathless, stunned by the welts and bruises that marred the girl's skin, blood had crusted on the flesh there too, once upon a time it had obviously pained her horribly. _

_"Eventually I require you to break it.' She forced her eyes to reach up, to look in the direction of her own face. _

_"Something comes, the air is tense with it. Let me out."_

_A crackling flash of lightening crossed the cloudless sky, ripping through the blackness and making a wave of light flash through the hills, making her flinch visibly, covering her gaze with hands. _

_The girl in front of her did not move but watched her simply, shadows dancing on her pale face. _

_Despite having the same face there was something monumentally different about her, the expression was so alien. _

_The wind tugged at her clothing, gusts of it throwing dark red pollen in her face, released by the black flowers around her. _

_"Who are you?" She gasped, staring dazedly in the direction of the girl, wishing the thundering sound of the lightening would stop, it trembled through her body, making her head throb. _

_"I am you." The girl smiled gently, cocking her head to her side, the smile was not at all like Hinata's own, it held something a little too different, a little nerve wrecking. _

_"I am Okasan, and Hanabi, Sakura, Tenten and Ino." She grinned then, the obvious power and predatory intent flickering behind her eyes as the lightening flashed, setting the world into a bright flaming glory. "I'm everything you're not."_

_"Let me out." _

_It was an order. _

With a gasp Hinata flung her arms out, startling Sasu right out of her bed and onto the floor nervously to look around at the bright light of the moon hidden by the condensed blizzard passing by her window. It made the wind chimes hanging outside swing in a panicked manner, voices shaking in the strong winds.

Panting heavily the girl's hands flew to her face, wiping away the sweat, shoving hair out of her way as she struggled to her feet.

Sasu mewed softly, jumping along to catch up to her, tail flicking back and forth in irritation as she ignored him. She walked past, pressing her forehead against the cold window, listening to the moan of the gusting wind and the wind chimes' shrieks of panic.

"Ne, Sasu." She whispered, glancing at the kitten as he jumped onto the window ledge, walking over to nuzzle her hand. "…what do you do when you're faced with yourself?"

The cat blinked up at her confusedly, bright green eyes glittering by the marred light of the moon hiding behind the cover of snow and sleet dancing outside.

"Yeah…" she nodded, sighing heavily before picking up the thoroughly confused feline. "I think I'm crazy too."

Quietly she headed back towards the bed, glad that Sasuke had not woken at her near silent outburst, pondering if maybe she should try having some soothing tea before trying to sleep again when a loud banging that sounded too much like thunder echoed through the house.

Flinching the kunoichi jumped to her feet, dropping Sasu in a pile on the floor with a kitty 'oomph!' of surprise.

"Ah!" she gasped, bending down to pick him up again. "Gomen!" Quickly putting the little fellow on her shoulder she stepped out into the dark hall only to bump right into Sasuke, who was pulling a shirt over his head, grumbling.

"S-sasuke- what was that?" she gasped, following as he headed down the hall towards the stairs.

"Someone at the door." He retorted, his voice thin and very obviously irritated. "They had better have one hell of a reason for knocking at one in the bloody morning…"

Wide eyed and ruffled the Hyuuga heiress tumbled down the stairs after him, pulling her sweater- actually _his _sweater around herself carefully.

She stopped just before the foyer, listening to Sasu's deep almost menacing growl. If he weren't so small and cute looking it might actually be of some use.

Sasuke on the other hand, being more a panther than a kitten had all the menacing tools he needed. Dark eyes narrowed, pale face glowing by the dim light he stormed towards the door and flung it open, ignoring the slap of cold air that reached to hit him, forcing his hair to dance around his face. In a voice intended to slice right through throats he stated.

"What?"

Through the flurry of wind Hinata heard a male unsteady voice gasp out in a chatter. "Sasuke-san! G-gomen no sai, we were sent by Neji-sama to-matte!" the man gasped as Sasuke moved to slam the door at the word Neji.

"What?" he asked again, more impatiently, pulling it open again just slightly. Rolling her eyes Hinata sighed, rubbing the side of her face before wondering if she should intervene.

"Neji-sama asked us to deliver this, it is for Hinata-hime." Sasuke stared out at the man standing shivering in the cold, another fellow stood behind him. They huddled in their cloaks, noses red, eyes watering from the continual slap of the cold. In his hand the first man held a scroll marked obviously in Neji's neat writing.

"…hime, hn?" he grunted, taking the scroll thoughtfully, moving to close the door without another concern. The men's faces fell slightly and they moved to leave, starting right back to the other end of town, flinching in the wind.

Hinata inside gasped as Sasuke closed the door. "Sasuke." She stated, looking at him wide eyed.

Pointedly the Uchiha master refused to look up, studying the scroll instead. Knowing full well that if he did make the mistake of looking up and seeing her innocent slightly hurt expression he would grumble and whine but he'd turn right around and let the two men in.

"Sasuke." She stated again, her voice a little smaller.

Idiotically he looked up, cursing himself the moment he did so, she looked almost near a pout.

"Damnation." He stated instead, tossing her the scroll. "_Fine._" He grunted, turning around and flinging the door open again to drag the two messengers back inside, ignoring their steady flow of "arigato."

Smiling in triumph Hinata crooned softly, rubbing behind Sasu's ear. "Mark one down for the Hyuuga." She murmured.

Sasu gave her a kitty look, clearly not amused, seeing as quite obviously he didn't count as Hyuuga, he was an Uchiha through and through, no doubt about it.

The men were soaking wet, the snow had dampened them to a point where it had begun to solidify into ice at the edges of their clothing, their lips blue and their fingers frozen. The moment they stepped inside Hinata scurried to make tea, calling out to them to follow and not worry about the water they dripped on the floor.

Sasuke leaned against the kitchen wall, rolling his eyes, a little irritated at the lack of sleep. "Your cousin had better have an excellent reason for this." He pointed out, making her smile slightly again, determined not to roll her eyes back at him. "I'm sure he does." She replied, shooing him off to get bedding for the two men who she insisted would sleep on the couch.

Sighing the cold avenger moved to comply, up the stairs in search of warm blankets and perhaps if he was in a 'very' good mood, some pillows.

"Gomen, Hinata-hime." One of the men stated as he struggled into a chair in the kitchen, flinching at seeing her yawn slightly. "Please, go back to sleep, we only needed a moment to gather our wits about us before heading back out-"

"N-nonsense." Hinata replied simply, turning around and pouring the warm tea out into their cups. "Would you like some jam and bread?" she added, proud of herself for stuttering minimally in front of two strange men.

They stared at her, at her cheery but obviously tired face and huge lavender eyes.

"…h-hai, Hinata-hime, arigato."

Hinata started slightly, hearing the word for the third time, her hands in the fridge to pull out the jam.

"Hime?" she murmured, turning to look at them confusedly. "Demo…" she continued slowly. "I'm not."

They stared at her for a moment, looking puzzled by her words.

The conversation would have continued if one of them had not sneezed loudly, flinging his hands over his face in an effort to be polite.

Forgetting the topic in a second Hinata stood up, smiling slightly. "I should have some herbs to make that cold fade faster." She mumbled, turning to a cabinet and beginning to rummage inside. "Crush them in your tea and you'll be fine in a few days." She pulled out the green powder and put it on the table.

"Excuse me." She added, turning around and leaving them there, blinking after her in surprise.

Down the hall she met up with Sasuke who was carrying and armful of heavy blankets, muttering under his breath.

"You're still brooding." She sighed, teasing gently, following along as he dumped them on the living room couch.

"Hn." He retorted, watching her begin to spread the blankets out, smiling slightly.

"…ne… they're clothes are very wet…and…ano…"

"Oh bother." He retorted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "My clothes? I mean… _my_ clothes? Really?"

"…well.." Hinata continued, knowing full well he was just moody from being woken up so randomly. "I suppose they can sleep without _any_ clothes-"

"Tch!" Sasuke grunted, heading back up to his room, noting with some feeble satisfaction that even though she was teasing him she was the one blushing slightly at having said it.

Hinata smirked slightly, ignoring the heat flaming on her cheeks. "Mm." She added to Sasu who was sitting comfortably on the arm of one of the couches. "Let's have a look at that scroll? He must have found out something to do with the elders if he's sent it in such a hurry."

Mewing softly Sasu climbed up her leg and sat on her shoulder happily, looking over it at the paper as she walked towards the stairs to find Sasuke, frowning down at the words meeting her eyes.

Bits and pieces flickered with importance, slowly but surely strangling her, the invisible loop around her throat tightening, making her face drain of color.

_…have changed the terms…_

_…engagement…_

_…tomorrow…_

_…Gomen._

Hinata looked up to see Sasuke, standing at the foot of the stairs, an armful of clothing in his hands, frowning at her, eyes worried.

"Hinata? What's the matter?" he whispered, moving forward rapidly as she swayed, leaning against the wall for support, her hands shaking as they handed him the scroll, lips lined by a blue tinge.

The Uchiha stared, supporting her slightly as he began to scan the scroll, color beginning to drain from his own face at the words.

Hinata closed her eyes, feeling the slight panic and tears begin to fill her eyes in frustration and odd shock.

_Something comes, the air is tense with it…_

_Let me out._

* * *

The rookie nine had never looked quite as pale as they did when Sakura stated what the problem was. For a moment there was utter silence, a major achievement considering they had Ino amongst them. 

The group sat in the café that Sakura, Ino and Hinata had been visiting for over a year, inside where the fires were burning and the smell of warm drinks filled their noses. They were clothes heavily with winter garb, scarves, gloves and hats making their cheeks flush with the heat.

Until she spoke, until she told them about their friend.

"N-nani?" Ino whimpered, struggling to move, to stand and do something but her legs wouldn't respond.

"Engaged? They've forced her into an engagement?" she stared, looking at Sakura like she had gone mad. "How? She's not even a Hyu-"

"Stop. It's not official yet. The elders have given the word though." Sakura cut in thinly, her voice as whisper small as if she were ready to slay someone. "Whoever wins the battle must marry, that is the case."

"But Hanabi- Hanabi is hardly old enough to-" Kiba began and then swallowed, knowing that Hinata was thinking of the very same thing. "…and whoever looses?" Shino enquired softly, hands clenched under his long sleeves, trying to calm the swarm of festering insects within him, furious because of his own raging fury.

"If it is Hinata she will be exiled for life." Sakura whispered. "Her contact with Hanabi, and Neji will be non existent." The others flinched. "If she wins she will marry the idiot they have chosen for her." She sighed, lowering herself into her chair even further, as if melting into it.

"…and Sasuke?" Naruto murmured slowly, staring at the med nin with narrowed blue eyes.

Sakura flinched, making everyone's hearts sink a few meters. "I don't know. He says nothing."

"Where are they?" Ino stated suddenly, moving to stand again, only to be dragged down by Shikamaru, shaking his head, frowning.

"They're at the compound right now." Sakura began slowly, knowing she had to deal with the next part of the situation carefully. "…the elders… also moved the battle date to today…"

Even Shikamaru couldn't keep the blonde from jumping to her feet, everyone stared dazedly at Sakura, frozen in their chairs.

"Today?" Naruto struggled, slowly pushing himself to his feet. "Demo-" he began, glancing out at the blizzard outside they had all braved to reach the café and speak to one another.

They wouldn't have done it if Sakura hadn't said it was a matter of one of their friends' future.

"It is outside." Sakura nodded slowly, looking like she was going to cry. "Hinata told me her only worry was that her sister would be sick from the cold." She whimpered, rubbing her eyes. "… she looked…like she wasn't actually there."

Kiba buried his face in his hands, looking down in silence.

"…we have to do something." Tenten whispered, lips pressed thinly. "We have to inform the Hokage-"

"She's off at the Sand." Sakura laughed, lacking in all amusement. "I went to her first. Why do you think the elders came in such a hurry. They must have heard that she was gone and snatched their chance to force the hokage's own apprentice into doing something she didn't actually want to-"

"Enough." Shino snapped suddenly, making everyone flinch and turn to look at him, visibly irritated, the bugs that usually walked along on his fingers moving at a frenzied angry speed.

"There must be something we can do, rules must have been put in place for such conduct, it's only a matter of finding them, and if all else fails, we need to buy her more time to figure a way to avoid the situation." He looked over at Shikamaru who was nodding slowly.

"The short length of time is the reason that their plan is so hard to work against. If we could get more time, even to just have the Hokage return. Even the Hyuuga elders would be forced to accept her opinion on the matter, and she would not be happy to have Hinata married off to some distant cousin of hers."

"Fine." Sakura nodded. "We'll do that."

"Someone has to be with her too.." Ino began slowly. "…she must be so scared."

"I'll go." Tenten stated suddenly, moving to stand. 'I'm more likely to be allowed into the compound and I'm no use in a situation like this."

The others didn't complain, but watched as she left, forcing her way through the snow in the direction of the Hyuuga estate.

"Kiba, can you and Shino find a way to send a message to the Hokage?" Shikamaru stated, moving to stand as did everyone else.

The two nodded. "Get it to her before midday." He muttered. "With enough luck she will be able to reply by the evening, which is when the battle is being held, yes?" he turned to Sakura who nodded as well. "Right now she is being evaluated by the elders… I believe Tsunade-sama is on her way back, but that's still more than two days away, she's in no hurry either."

"Hai." Kiba and Shino stated, turning to head out as well, readying a message in their minds.

"Naruto, Sakura… we do need to buy Hinata time." Shikamaru continued, playing it out in his mind. He frowned slightly. "I need you two to ask for an audience with the elders in protest…. It's useless I know, but if they have someone stubborn enough-" he began, smirking as Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who blushed. "They could argue for a few hours if need be."

"Before you do that though." He added. "Choji Ino and I need to find you material with which to fight them, legalities and so on." He glanced at Ino who looked more unnerved than usual. "We're going to the library."

Ino only flinched.

* * *

Wasted energy was something she couldn't afford, but somehow it felt like if she didn't fight, if she didn't move and do something the energy would turn against her and kill her, ripping out of her own body to devour her. 

Her fists impacted with the training post on the Hyuuga compound's garden, splinters flying up in the cold air as she knocked a few inches of wood from the surface.

The slush gripped at her feet as she spun, nailing it sharply with a round kick that sent ribbons of flame up her shins in pain, and she stopped, panting heavily, the same dead expression on her face, only breathless.

The garden was empty. She had yet to see the elders, who she had been told were busy having their breakfast. She didn't understand why then they had dragged her to the compound so early in the morning, seven to be exact.

They had sent an armed guard and everything, though it had been an insult. Only four.

Sasuke had explained that it was to make sure she didn't run away and she had replied gently that if they knew anything about her, if she had wanted to run away they should have sent more.

Sasuke's hand on her shoulder had nearly made her burst into frenzied tears, the realization of what they were trying to force on her ...a new more frustrating situation than she had ever faced.

They hadn't spoken much, after reading the letter, and for that reason she hadn't known what she was supposed to do. For some strange reason… she had hoped Sasuke would tell her, command her to do something.

Or… if only he had asked her to stay…

But that was silly, there was no fighting the Hyuuga Clan, they had more power than she liked to admit. If they ran, they would be hunted, partly because of Sasuke's past, but also by her own people. It was a useless idea. They could not run forever.

And she didn't quite know if he would want to risk such a thing…

Gasping she turned again, throwing her elbow into the target, more pain drilling down to her finger tips, making her flinch and want to burst into tears.

"Hinata. Stop." She froze, his voice reaching her ears so softly most people wouldn't have heard the panic and order in his voice. He was startled by her fury.

"You're bleeding." He muttered, his hands were there, taking hers, beginning to unwrap the bloodied bandages.

She didn't look up at him as he worked, unwrapping her fists until it revealed the bruised flesh, broken because of the solid impact to the training post.

They stood in silence, Sasuke's fingers moving with knowledge as he undid the bandages, frowning slightly at the sight of the blood. In a few seconds the frown was wiped away by an impassive stare as he let go.

"We should find a servant to get you some water and bandages to clean that wound before you go into the evaluation."

Hinata looked at him, at his expressionless face and the solid set of his jaw.

Her chest hurt. Swallowing forcefully she whispered. "Sasuke…"

Slowly his eyes rose to meet hers, shadowed forcefully. There was no point in attempting to read the expression, he was being careful, there would be nothing there for her to see. It hurt worse than a blade going through her.

The silence was heavy, weighed by the awkwardness hanging between them. A blush like she hadn't experienced in a long time came back to haunt her, startled by the knotting feeling she looked away, the heat rushing up her neck into her cheeks.

"…n-never mind, g-gomen no sai- I-I…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away to head back into the house, the muscles in his back tightening sharply when he felt her eyes watching him as he stepped back into the shadows of the household.

He ignored it, ignored everything, held it an arm's length away.

But holding something far away didn't stop his thoughts from running ahead of him, torturing him with their whispers.

_She's leaving… she's leaving you forever, there is no chance now… engaged- she's as good as engaged right now… _

He swallowed, closing the door behind himself as he stepped into the Hyuuga's hallway. They had been told to wait in that general area of the house with a servant standing just outside of the little sitting room to wait on them. He headed in that direction. Ignoring the sound of Hinata's soft grunt followed by another _thump _as she attacked the training post again.

His body trembled only slightly, too little for anyone to see it but enough for him to feel it. Clearing his throat slightly he flung open the door, startling the servant standing outside in a doze.

"We need warm water, clean bandages and healing ointment." He stated, voice monotone, eyes cold, making the servant girl shrink, looking at him like she might die at any moment, hands clenched in front of her and shaking.

Little did he know that rumors had spread about the Uchiha who had trained the new heiress.

Rumors about how only his near fatal training regiment had drilled the useless heiress-to-be into something worthwhile.

"H-hai- Uchiha-san!" she gasped, turning around and scrambling down the hall to the kitchen to fetch the required items.

Sasuke slammed the door closed as she left turning around and freezing at the sight of Hinata standing there, massaging one of her wrists, looking at the ground, a frown on her face he hadn't seen there for a long time.

"…S-sasuke…" she began, eyes intent on her wrist as she undid the bandages. "…I c-can't… I can't do it…" her voice broke, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. "…I'm s-stuck…" her hands reached up to her face, wiping away the tears with unsteady fingers, moving roughly against the rushing liquid. "…H-hanabi is…c-counting on me, demo, demo…" her whole body trembled, a noose beginning to tighten around her throat making her unable to speak.

A part of him began to retreat, hiding within him, struggling to close the door to her, to see nothing. He couldn't think about that now, he had promised her something, he had promised her that he would get her the heiress title, he had promised it to Tsunade, to her father Hiashi…and silently to her sister.

Hinata was the last hope of the family, he had promised.

Sighing, just slightly he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her, biting his lip at the feel of her tears on his neck. Shaking slightly he leaned down, reaching for that steady voice he had always managed to find even when he had wanted to scream out in agony or frustration.

"…you need to win this." He breathed in, that scent of lavender and softness, the texture of her smooth skin against his fingers as he traced her neck gently, memorizing the sensation.

"…you need to concentrate on this. Win the fight, earn the title. We'll deal with the rest afterwards."

It amazed him that he sounded so steady and certain when his heartbeat was going at a million miles per second, and a soft voice inside his head was laughing nervously, knowing full well there was no way to deal with it afterwards.

No way in sight, at least.

She didn't stop crying, but she didn't reply in negative, her soft whimpers slowly subsiding as time passed…

She clenched her eyes closed, running his words over inside her mind, the order was there, though weakened slightly by an almost undetectable shake to his voice.

_Hinata… Go. _

She would do it.

* * *

"Hinata." The word was odd in the elder's mouth, lacking in some teeth and all amusement. The eyes of the old woman were not friendly, they were spiteful and carefully analyzing every move of her body. 

To her surprise, however, there was nothing really to complain about. When one is so broken they can hardly function they have nothing much to do but face the cause of their pain and with emotionless eyes stare at them.

Hinata was doing just that. Bland lavender eyes stared back at each and every elder after bowing, as if memorizing their faces.

_They will be in my nightmares, one day… _she realized, staring at the wrinkled faces with new found disgust. _I will slay them there._

"You have come to challenge the title of heiress of the Hyuuga Clan and everything that comes attached to such a title, yes?" the elder continued.

Hinata didn't respond for a moment, looking around at the brightly lit room. The skylight above making her seem as though she were standing in a spotlight. The elders sat high on their raised seats in the shadows, looming over her, it seemed. People who didn't feel they had a strong grip on their power often did such things. She had read that once, in a book of manipulation and spy tactic.

"…the title is by all rights mine." She replied after a short moment of silence, too tired of them and of the situation to pretend to be polite. Her eyes turned back to them, narrowed slightly.

"I am only asking that it be given back."

There was a moment of unnerving silence as the elders stared back at her, their irritation mounting, she could see it in the way their chakra changed flow, rapid and angry in it's movement.

"You were disowned for improper conduct." The elder snapped back, sitting up straighter in her chair. Hinata almost smirked in sarcastic amusement. She was trying to build herself up, more height, more status, more power.

Not with her.

"It wasn't held as a fair trial, there was no proof, and there isn't any proof still." Hinata sighed, as if bored with the conversation, though inside there was a part of her that was staring, gaping at her own words.

Whatever had possessed her to speak that way was amazing, frightening and amazing…

"You truly are an obnoxious troubling naïve child." The elder smirked, all tension loosening as if suddenly she had found a new more interesting toy than usual.

"You think we will simply hand over such a title? After publicly disowning you and forcing you out of the Hyuuga Household for over a year?"

She laughed, the chuckles and smirks of amusement that followed her statement from the other elders lending to the mounting vexation sitting on Hinata's shoulders. A year ago she would have been near tears already, her heart beat going so fast she would have had trouble listening to them over the sound of the drumming rhythm.

"No, I expect no such thing from a family as stubborn as my own." Hinata whispered back, making them almost choke on their laughter, the elder only slowed and smirked at her.

"Cheeky, indeed. This is not what Hiashi had stated we would face."

"Oto-san knows little of me." Hinata added to her comment, narrowed dangerous eyes lifting to her face, uncaring of any disrespect possibly found in her honest gaze. "He is not a fair judge."

"Indeed." Another elder grunted, his eyes so wrinkled he could hardly see through the folds of skin. "In comparison to the child he pushed at us the night before, you are proving to be a much more interesting subject. Hyuuga Hanabi is just a child… an unhealthy one at that, I could see her chakra, it was in the process of recovering from some recent trauma."

Hinata flinched. "Hanabi is one of the Hyuuga's assets." She snapped, making them frown. "If the family doesn't strangle her she will bring honor and glory to the Hyuuga name."

"Watch your tongue." The elder replied coolly, resting her chin on her hand. "You are no Hyuuga, and can say nothing."

The heiress complied slowly, her expression masked, though her eyes were not. Mocking amusement was there for all of them to see, and no one could tell her she could not think disrespectful thoughts.

"That is enough, I should think." The elder at the far corner muttered. The others nodded slowly, glancing to the right at the door where a servant stood. Silently he bowed in respect to them and opened the door, beckoning someone inside.

Hinata started at the sight of Sakura, Naruto and Tenten, all three looking more irritated than usual, their glares rolling over every face before stopping at Hinata and breaking out into mixed smiles and worried frowns. "Hinata-chan!"

"Silence, you have not been asked to speak." The elder snapped, making Sakura flinch visibly, stopping from walking over to her friend who stood in the middle of the room.

"…Sakura-chan…" Hinata began slowly. "Nani-?"

"It appears that your bothersome friends have asked for an audience. As it so happens we do not think anything they have to say should affect the way we are dealing with this situation." The elder woman grunted, eyeing the other three as if they were a particularly annoying trio of cockroaches near her feet.

"We've politely asked for an audience- there's no need for you to refuse us-!" Sakura began, sounding less than polite.

The elder lifted a hand, stopping her mid sentence. "Your opinions hold no value." She smirked. "I figured you would all want to know that I let your 'friend' see what we were doing. No hidden agendas in which we denied having not wanted to speak with you."

Hinata ground her teeth, watching as the three were roughly escorted back, the two servants in their ways blocking their sight of Hinata.

"Hinata- don't let them force you!" Sakura shouted suddenly. "Tsunade-sama- she-"

The door slammed.

The stillness in the room was thick enough to touch. It crawled over her skin, sliding down her back in awkward disgusting rolls like sweat, only it was too cold to be sweating. Frowning slightly the pale eyed heiress looked up at the skylight and the snow that was falling over it, sliding down the sides of it's glass pyramid.

She focused on it's softness, the gentle movement of it's flakes, straining to regain that sense of calm and tranquility before turning to face the elders again.

"…what else do you wish to ask of me?' she enquired very softly, flinching at the sound of her voice cracking. Her jaw clenched and she looked down, straining again to regain her sense of control.

The elders did not react, though quietly they all seemed thoroughly amused by how easily she was affected at the sight of her friends.

Perhaps she was the heiress they needed, strong in appearance… weak in reality.

But then again, Hanabi was said to have a certain air about her while fighting.

"Nothing else." The elder in the far corner grunted, the age of his voice making the sound crackle through the room. "The battle will begin shortly. However, your opponent has requested an audience with you."

Hinata froze, looking at them, unable to shield the shock and relief flowing over her face.

Again the servant in the corner moved to open the door, allowing the small shivering form of Hanabi to step inside, straining not to flinch at the sight of the elders and their careful hawk-like eyes.

Swallowing forcefully the small girl bowed low to Hinata, making her sister start, scrambling to bow back respectfully, looking up as she did so at the little thing she would have to face in a few minutes.

Hanabi's hair was stringy, she had not slept well, the circles under her eyes were there again, despite all the food that Hinata had been sneaking into the house. Her lips were pale and cracked, all sense of color had faded, making her look instead, half bleached, as her tan melted off her skin.

And her eyes, large and doe-like, much like her own sister's were full of tears. Struggling forcefully she blinked them back, scrambling to wipe one of the tars away as it escaped her grasp and rolled down her cheek.

"…Hanabi…" Hinata whispered, unaware of the wobbly tone of her voice.

The younger Hyuuga smiled weakly, rubbing fiercely at her cheek. "Hello, Hinata-san." She flinched, the words, so polite and formal, almost like a slap.

Hinata's own expression softened slightly, and she shook her head. "D-don't do this to yourself… Hanabi-"

"Gomen!" The girl cried suddenly, making the elders narrow their eyes, straining to hear the whispered conversation in front of them.

"I'm s-sorry… Onee-chan-" she buried her face in her hands for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I-I c-c-can't marry… please, I'm s-sorry, I c-can't-"

In two quick strides Hinata took the girl by the shoulders, ignoring the two servants jumping up, hands flinging to the kunai strapped to their thighs. The elders however raised their hands to stop them from moving as Hinata stared down at her little sister, meeting her eyes forcefully.

"Look at me, Hanabi." She whispered, forcing the girl's tear filled gaze up by taking her little chin in her own hand. "We'll fight for this, do you hear? Give it all you've got, everything. I can take it. Show them you're not a child, and I'll show them I'm no puppet."

Hanabi stared at her a moment, lip trembling. "…hai?"

Hinata nodded, giving her a more courageous smile than she thought she'd ever be able to muster. "Fight me fairly, no holding back, don't insult me."

The younger of the two flinched, nodding slowly. "…d-demo…Onee-chan-"

"Enough!" the elder snapped suddenly, nodding to the guards to pull them apart. Quickly Hinata made as if to kiss her little sister's cheek, pulling back slowly, whispering. "Fight me."

The younger Hyuuga stared at her worriedly, but her jaw was clenched, a passing look of determination beginning to flow over her face.

Hinata smiled at her again, allowing the guards to take her by the elbows and start to pull her back towards the training court in which they would fight.

She knew that look…

It wasn't even about herself anymore. If Hanabi didn't prove to be worthy of the Hyuuga name as well she would be used badly, Hinata knew that.

There was no choice but to show them just how powerful the two heiresses really were, but Hinata still had to prove to be the superior. She had to save her little sister.

* * *

Sakura threw her fist into the marble wall of the Hyuuga foyer, watching with bitter satisfaction as twisting spider web cracks spread from under her fist. Tenten jumped to her feet, dragging her backwards, hissing under her breath. "Do you want to be arrested? That's more expensive than anything you've ever owned!" 

"I don't bloody care- I could sue them for how they've treated us all-"

"I don't think so." Another voice stated, making all three of the irritable shinobi turn to look over their shoulders at the door leading into the mansion. Neji slipped inside, sliding the door closed behind him, frowning at Sakura plainly. "You'll have to leave before they realize you did that."

"To hell with all you Hyuugas!" Sakura shouted suddenly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she squirmed out of Tenten and Naruto's grasp. "They didn't even let me talk to her- they didn't even let me tell her Tsunade-sama was on her way." She whispered, burying her face in her hands in an attempt to keep calm. "She'll accept the terms thinking that she has to and-"

"There is nothing else for her to do- Hanabi-sama is in equal danger." Neji snapped suddenly, taking a dangerous step forward in his frustration.

Tenten jumped in his way, drawing his gaze down to her. "Look at me."

Naruto had unconsciously stepped in front of Sakura slightly, biting his lip, just as frustrated as they all were, but being surprisingly calm for someone so easily agitated.

His expression was defeated… this sort of situation couldn't be solved through sheer brawn like most things he dealt with. He was useless.

"W-what are they doing now?" Sakura whimpered, as if unaware that Neji had almost moved to slap her. Slowly she rubbed her tears away, trying not to focus too much on the idea of Hinata forced into a marriage she didn't want.

Of all the people to deserve such a thing, that girl was that last…

"Hanabi-sama just went in to speak with her sister." Neji murmured slowly, lowering himself into a seat. "I was dismissed… they won't allow anyone to watch except for the elders and her father."

Naruto frowned, staring at him. "…where's Sasuke?"

* * *

It had never occurred to him that he might not be allowed to see the battle itself. Somehow he had always assumed he would be there, it was a relief when Hiashi himself informed him that as Hinata's official trainer he was allowed to attend. 

Sasuke hadn't replied with any soft 'arigatos' but only a very demeaning stare. Hiashi had replied with his own impassive gaze, an exchange of unsaid words and irritations flowing between the two men before Sasuke turned and headed back towards the training court where he had been told the fight would be held.

It annoyed him that it was out in the open, with the temperature dropping as the day grew later still, and the blizzard slowing just enough that a steady shower of thick snowflakes fell, covering the rough cobble stone that was the ground in a layer of ice.

Letting out a breath the Uchiha scooped up some of the fluffy white material, studying the rough ground with dislike. It would hurt to fall, even on a knee on such jagged footing, and being shoved would be worse, the very skin would be ripped from your flesh.

He stood, shoving hair out of the way, watching suddenly as a long train of robed elderly shinobi began to pour into the cold arena, servants bearing torches followed, streaming out and dividing to light the lamps hanging from pillars that stood in a circle.

The whole of the room was as dark and as uncomfortable as it could be. They had made it so, he knew it from the expression of the elders as they subtly tested the ground, scratching at it with their booted feet to see just how rough the terrain really was.

Feeling his hot tempered Uchiha blood boil within him Sasuke turned away as their eyes landed on him, refusing to bow.

_Bastards. _

"Uchiha Sasuke." Hiashi stated suddenly, coming up behind him from the very door he had used to enter. He nodded towards the elders. "I believe he trained the outcast."

Sasuke turned to look at him, onyx eyes ink black, stating quietly his anger. Hiashi refused to look back at him, turning his own pale gaze instead towards the last two people to enter the arena.

Hinata had two men standing on either side of her, making her seem smaller than usual, petite in comparison to their broad shouldered mass. But she moved with grace, dark panther elegance, each muscle rippling as though liquid steel. Her gaze ran over the room, testing the ground as she walked towards the other side of the arena, eyes landing suddenly on Sasuke, relief flooding them openly.

He looked back at her calmly for a moment, despite his heart going so fast it hurt, resisting the urge to kiss her and tell her it was all right.

On the other side stopped Hanabi… smaller even than her petite sister, clothed in a large cloak which she moved to remove, hands trembling in the cold.

"You have fifteen minutes." the elder woman stated, moving forward to stand in the middle of the two girls, letting the snow settling upon her without a care, holding herself with as much regal character as Hinata who stood on her right, refusing to shiver despite the rushing cold.

"…whoever wins agrees to the terms and regulations of the heiress title of the Hyuuga Main house." Her eyes slowed and traveled towards Hinata, then over her shoulder slowly, focusing on him.

Uchiha Sasuke.

The young man looked back at her calmly, arms crossed, onyx eyes fixated on the hag's face.

_...damned old hag… _

"Ready?"

Hinata's body fought against her, allowing a shiver to pass through her. Swallowing heavily she lowered herself down into fighting stance, looking over at her sister, who followed her example, the stance of the gentle fist looking more natural on both their bodies than the elders had supposed.

"…Fight!"

The whisper behind her was all she needed to hear, slamming her mind into the right setting, the chain in the field of dark flowers shattering so forcefully that metal spun out of control, rusted and blood stained, a dark power inside of her springing out.

_"Hinata. Go." _

* * *

**_((sobs)) this is the second to last chapter. The finale is coming up…_**

**_man oh man… _**

**_guys, it's over. _**

**_It's OVER. _**

**_How weird is that? _**

**_Anyway, I must apologize for it's uckyness, there's a ton of stuff that I don't like in this chapter, but that's cuz I wrote it, and then my computer ate it so I had to rewrite it on the other compy and it's never as good as the first time. _**

**_But, it's something, ne? _**

**_Please leave a message! _**

**_Read. Review! _**

**_-ink _**


	33. Chp 5: Stronger

**_The Beginning of the End, my friends _**

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**_I hope you all enjoy. Take note, this is a draft just like all previous chapters. _**

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**_Read. Review. _**

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* * *

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Breathless, the oxygen was too cold to drag in, it was freezing her throat, but that didn't matter, because inside she was burning, her whole body a shivering sensation of mixed frustration and panic… and anger… hatred? Was it hatred? She almost pulled back from that feeling, but stopped at the sight of Hinata's own murderous expression.

There was something frightening about it. Her sister's eyes had narrowed dangerously, like a cat's gaze shortening into slits of wary threat.

"Use it!" Hinata hissed suddenly, as if reading her mind, ramming into her so forcefully her body almost crumbled, but lesson after lesson about avoiding solid impacts had drilled into her body the right reactions and she flipped, landing on a knee on the other side of the arena, catching a cry of pain as the rough material shoved it's sharp rocks into her skin.

There would be blood there soon.

Ignoring it she shoved herself up, grabbing a kunai and blocking Hianta's own strike, sparks flying at the contact. The sisters flickered, in and out of vision, even the Hyuuga's couldn't keep up. Sasuke standing in the shadows forced his eyes into Sharingan, studying each move with steadily increasing surprise.

They were far more agile than he had assumed…

Panting heavily Hinata blocked a kick, her forearms throbbing as she flipped backwards, landing at a crouch only to block again, her little sister's small body pushing for speed she hadn't dared to achieve before.

"Good." She grunted, ignoring the pain drilling into her.

Hanabi felt it, her control beginning to slip from her hands, a monster beginning to unravel inside of her. Endless nights of being tired, of being worn, of crying herself to sleep as her body ached, because of them… because of _Them. _

Her eyes flickered to the right, to the elders for half a second, and she regretted it as Hinata shoved forward, her fingers connecting with a chakra point on her shoulder, making her gasp in pain and stumble back, shuriken flying out of her hands to force her elder sister back.

Hinata flipped out of the way, impressed with the speed that the weapons had been deployed at. Locks of her dark hair were lying on the snow covered ground, cut off as she spun out of the way.

They stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily. "…come. I stand in the way of what you want." Hinata snapped, ripping Hanabi out of her thoughts, all of them screaming at her to stop. She couldn't fight her sister… her sister would never-

"N-nani?" she whispered, frowning. "Y-you're not-"

"You've always wanted to be powerful, the title of heiress would give you everything you wanted."

With a flicker and a small warp of sound Hinata vanished from sight. Hanabi gasped, blocking a round kick aimed for her head.

"What are you talking about!?" she screamed, shoving her back, rushing after her as she stumbled, connecting solidly with her, knee to gut.

Hinata cringed, almost crumbling against her. Instead she kicked up, flipping over her shoulder, grabbing onto her small body, throwing her roughly over her head.

Hanabi let out a cry of shock as she hit the ground and skidded, flesh being ripped from her arms and side roughly, blood began to pour suddenly as she scrambled to her feet. Her black on black tunic in tatters on one side.

"You've always been happy to be the more powerful one!" Hinata stated again, making Hanabi's gaze widen and then narrow sharply as she ran forwards, hands flying through motions, flickering images of herself coming on either side of her. Three Hanabis, one Hinata.

"I have _not!" _She grunted, attacking her sister from all three sides.

Biting her lip Hinata hid her face, the agony there at having to rip her sister's calm to shreds, force her to hate her, if only for a little while…

_I need you to hit me, I need you to show them, Hanabi…Neji knows. _

Hinata's gaze flickered to her father, standing in the corner, eyes dead, studying each of them like they weren't his own flesh and blood, like they didn't matter, only their power mattered.

Anger bloomed inside her… her sister _did _matter.

_You cold senseless bastard… _

The impact of the real Hanabi's fist against her face was harsh, sending her flying backwards, her back and shoulder screaming as the rough ground tore at her clothes, ripping them until she came to a stop. Groaning in surprised pain she sat up, hands reaching to hold her shirt over her shoulder, the strap torn from the fall.

_…If you don't prove your worth as a kunoichi, they'll marry you off too… _

"Liar!" Hinata shouted back suddenly.

Hanabi stopped, having started heading towards her again.

For a moment they stood in silence, panting and breathless, blood pouring from both their open wounds, bruises already blossoming on their faces. Somewhere along the fight their shuriken had ripped at their faces, both of them had scratches from barely missed blades.

"…liar?' Hanabi whispered. Hinata let out a breath, the mist forming in front of her roughly, but her eyes weren't seeing that, they were focused on the chakra in her sister's body, beginning to move at a rapid unnerving speed. It danced between the snow flakes falling, making a light show as her elder sister's byakugan eyes watched, startled.

"Liar?" She whispered again.

Grunting in surprise Hinata shoved herself to her feet, startled by the ripple of chakra that marred the air as it passed through Hanaib's flesh and out into the physical world.

"…let's start this thing." Hanabi grunted suddenly, flickering out of sight again, Hinata smirked, lifting a forearm up to block a round kick. "Let's."

Silently she spun into her sister's kick, throwing an elbow into her stomach only to find small hands there to catch it. The fingers ran up her arm, making her cry out as chakra points were blocked sharply. With a gasp she spun again, her hook connecting with Hanabi's forearm as the girl blocked, faster than either of them had thought she could move.

Both their bodies were moving at high speed, each flickering motion going fast enough that everyone in the area had employed the use of their blood-line limits, studying the fight through their heightened gaze.

Letting out a cry of frustration Hanabi slammed her small hand into Hinata's lower back, only to miss as the older girl flipped over her head, landing at a crouch, kicking her feet from under her.

Another cry escaped her as she landed, only to toss more shuriken out, forcing Hinata back, kunai flashing in order to block each blade.

"I'm not a liar! I never wanted it! I don't want it-!" Hanabi sobbed, shoving herself to her feet quickly before Hinata moved, aching badly enough to slow down, wishing they could stop. She didn't want to fight anymore, she didn't want to do this anymore...

Her elder sister was faster, and it was obvious at that moment. In a flash she was standing in front of her little sister, kunai clenched in her hand, knowing what was running through her mind, the expression of desperate need obvious. It was time to stop… even if they hadn't reached their full potential. No where near it… but it was enough, any more and Hanabi's mind might shatter under the strain…

Hanabi gasped. She hadn't seen her move… hadn't even realized she wasn't standing where she was before…

A gust of wind whispered by, tossing their hair in a tangled mess over their faces. Hinata smiled at her, tears streaming down her bloodied face.

"I know…Hanabi-chan." She whispered. "That's why I'm going to take it."

Realization spread over the youngsters face suddenly, mouth opening to protest.

_NO! Don't do it just for me! Onee-chan-! _

Hinata flickered out of sight again, appearing behind her sister just as the words were tripping to escape her mouth. Without letting her say anything she shoved the kunai to her throat, her other hand slamming into chakra points down her neck and back, face twisting into a wince of agony as Hanabi's words were marred into a strangled cry of pain.

Her knees collapsed, but Hinata grabbed her, holding the kunai steady, even though her lips were trembling.

"…you're paralyzed…" she whispered, but in the silence everyone could hear quite clearly how her voice shook, even though they couldn't see her bury her face into her sister's shoulder to hide her tears. "Forfeit."

"No need for that." The elder's voice grunted suddenly, amused. "It's quite the obvious win."

Hinata didn't move, every muscle in her body a tense knot.

"…nonsense." A new voice stated, making relief flood Hinata's mind, slowly her hand began to let go of her sister's shoulder.

"Hanabi-sama proved to be a good match for someone four years her elder." There were soft murmurs as elders glanced over the two sisters with arrogant but new found interest.

Gently Hinata let her hand travel down her sister's neck and back, unlocking the chakra points, listening to Hanabi's whimpers as each point was allowed to flow steadily again.

"Gomen… gomen no sai, Hanabi-" Hinata began, flinching at the feel of hands taking her shoulders suddenly.

Expecting Sasuke she turned, only to find a servant, holding a blanket. "Hinata-hime." He bowed, eyes lowered. "There is a bath ready for both the ladies if you would wish to follow me."

Hinata started, looking around quickly, eyes searching through the crowd, nodding absently, trying to find Sasuke amongst the huge robes of the elders. The shadows began to darken as torches were snuffed out.

She stared around confusedly, still holding up her little sister, both of them wrapped up in the same blanket. Hanabi's face was buried in her shirt, soft whimpers of relief escaping her grasp, muffled so that the elders wouldn't hear.

Hinata's hands passed through her sister's hair, sticky with the blood they had shed and the melting snowflakes mixing with their sweat.

"…Hinata-hime?" the servant asked again, looking at her worriedly as she scanned the area again.

"…h-hai." She nodded, turning to look at him, her eyes huge… shocked.

Fifteen minutes… fifteen minutes and the work of over a year had passed by.

The agonies and nightmares and worried sleepless nights had been used up. All to end in fifteen short minutes?

She looked down at Hanabi, who sniffed slightly against her shoulder, turning to look up at her elder sister, face tear streaked and dirty. "…i-is it going to be okay?"

Hinata stared at her for a moment, aching to glance back again as they entered the household once more, led no longer like prisoners but like honored guests into the halls to bathe.

"…hai." She lied, panic marring her voice only slightly.

_Sasuke? Where did you go?_

"It's going to be fine."

Hanabi nodded, knowing full well she was lying. But even strong children like to pretend not to know things from time to time.

* * *

The door of the foyer opened, breaking the silence almost the way Sakura's punch had shattered the marble surface of the entrance.

All four shinobi within turned to look and froze at the sight of the Avenger, shaking snow from his dark hair, an aura so vastly negative that none of them moved.

"…S-sasuke…." Naruto began, jumping to his feet finally. "What happened?"

The Uchiha walked right by them, heading towards the door leading to the street, stuffing his hands in his pockets after he'd opened the door to the wild blizzard outside.

"…She won." He grunted, stepping outside and slamming the door shut.

The others stood, looking bewildered at one another. A few weeks ago, hearing that she had won would have been enough to make them jump for joy…

Now, they knew not what to do.

* * *

It was past midnight. She hadn't thought she would stay, actually she had told them she wasn't going to, but their all too logical retorts that the weather was murderous and that the heiress needed to be protected forced her to grind her teeth and storm back to her room.

The truth was also… that Hanabi had looked at her, wide eyed and panicked when she had said she would leave. Only they knew the kind of reception the small girl would receive from her father if Hinata left long enough for him to ask for it. Hiashi had vanished much like Sasuke after the battle, not staying long enough for the elders to rub it in his face that his 'prodigy' though very capable, was not as impressive as he had made her sound. It didn't matter… father was no longer important.

The bitter sweet taste of being in her old room was sickening at best, she looked around at the almost bare walls, the off white slightly pink curtains and small messy looking bed covered in small stuffed animals she had collected over the years, presents Kiba, Shino and Neji had given her on several occasions.

The room felt like she had walked backwards more than just a year, a few years, to grade two, perhaps.

Sighing heavily she flung herself back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wishing she knew what had happened.

Why Sasuke had…

_Don't think about it, don't think about that- he's coming back, he probably left because… because…_

Before she was forced to admit she had no reason on hand there was a knock at the door.

Startled the now fully legal heiress scrambled to her feet, walking over to the door with a frown before opening it a crack and staring in surprise at Hanabi, looking smaller and more young than usual in her pj's, the bruise she had gained from their fight making her cheek look several different shades of green, blue and purple.

"Hanabi-chan!" Hinata started in surprise, pulling the door open to let her in. "W-what's the matt-?" she froze, feeling the younger child wrap her arms around her waist, burying her face in her shirt again.

"…I can't sleep." Came the muffled reply.

Sighing softly Hinata nodded, patting her head before leading her over to the bed. Together the sisters curled up, Hanabi closer than she had usually done so in their earlier years. There was vulnerability about her that Hinata hadn't noticed before. It had obviously developed during the last year…

"…Nee-chan?" Hanabi whispered after a moment, when Hinata finally turned off the lamp and they lay in the darkness, only lit by the moonlight streaming in through the open window.

"Hm?" Hinata enquired, fingers running through the girl's hair quietly, listening to the sound of the wind rushing around the house outside violently.

"Where's Sasuke-san?"

To her credit Hinata kept her fingers moving, straining not to grow tense from the question. "…home, I assume."

"…you miss him."

Her fingers finally stopped moving through their relaxing touch, jaw clenching to keep it from showing how her voice could wobble as she spoke.

"…he'll come back." She replied, voice forcefully cheerful. "He…ano… he's probably gone back because someone has to take care of Sasu."

"Sasu?"

"…my kitten. You'll love him."

"You've a kitten? He let you have a kitten at his house?"

"…I think he secretly likes him." Hinata admitted, smiling ruefully. Hanabi giggled, almost surprised at herself. It had been a long time since she had done something that cheerful.

Sobering up because of the next thought that followed Hanabi sighed. "…Hinata… what are you going to do?" she whispered, her voice becoming steadily more mature. "…you're engaged to some cousin of ours now. What about Sas-?"

"Shss… we need to sleep." Hinata interrupted, surprising them both. Hanabi blinked in the dark at her, noting that her sister was staring up at the ceiling, eyes glittering.

It was only when the glitter spilled down her cheeks that she realized she was crying. Sighing softly Hanabi curled up against her tighter, holding her hand.

There was nothing else anyone could do about it.

* * *

He didn't go home that night, despite the blizzard and the already numbing feel of his hands freezing from the cold.

It didn't matter that he was probably going to be ill later and there would be no one home to take care of him like the few times before during the year that he had collapsed under the strain of too much work and not enough rest.

_She _had been there, smiling sweetly, shaking her head, but never saying out loud that he was silly for trying so hard. With sweet candy from her pocket and after their first kiss soft caresses to comfort his aching often feverish flesh he hadn't cared that he was spending too much time in bed resting rather than training…

Her touch beat training any day… but now-

Solid fist to solid wood, blood was the result, spilling from the cracks of his frost bitten bruised flesh. He didn't give his brain time to register it, swinging around to kick the post, shattering it in half, it was almost a clean crack, a lot smoother than anything Hinata had done in front of him. Her force came from shock of impact, the energy drilling 'into' the target, destroying precious things within, making it rot from the inside out.

He liked to make it explode, slice it and dice it into nothingness…

Though, if anyone asked, he'd have to admit her way was better, less flashy, more to the point… more pain. Though the last was probably not intended, on her part.

No, it wasn't intended, her questioning cries at his supposed disappearance from the courtyard after her fight had stated that. She didn't mean to rip his heart out and impale it on that battle ground unknowingly destroying him the moment she defeated her own sister.

It was strange… he had always rooted for her to win against Hanabi. Siblings rivalries were something he knew about, quite well. Hinata deserved to win in his mind, but the moment she did so it was sickening, the sensation almost enough to make him want to vomit.

She was engaged.

She was out of his reach.

…and maybe he wanted it that way.

The rough kick suddenly turned into a flip, he landed on the severed post at a crouch, brooding enough that if anyone walked by they would turn the other way in hopes of avoiding death. Everything about him resonated a self hatred dangerous enough to make him flinch at himself.

The cold of the horizontal flow of snow wasn't as freezing as his own thoughts.

It wasn't that he didn't want her. _I need her._

It wasn't that he didn't think there was a way. _I can find it. _

It wasn't that he didn't care for her anymore. _…I love her. _

It was, simply, that…. _I'm not strong enough, for her… _

_ Itachi. _

His fist connected with the post again, blood spilled.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

There was something disgusting about having to wake up and find herself staring into the face of several servant girls, all of whom were crooning at the obvious affection between Hanabi and the heiress who shared a bed in order to stay warm and keep each other's thoughts from being too lonely.

Hanabi only lifted her head up from the pillow and studied them thoughtfully, looking for all the world accustomed to the sight.

Hinata, usually a morning person, had a lot of trouble keeping her own council.

"Why are you all in my room?" she snapped, grabbing her blankets and shoving them up over her chest, her shirt buttons had come undone, a good amount of flesh showing from twisting and turning all night without sleep.

"She's so modest, our Hime-sama." One of the girls giggled, Hinata fixed her with a lavender glare that might have been more impressive if she didn't look so tired and wasn't blushing so hard.

"We're here to get you ready." One of the older women commented, walking over and flinging the curtains open to let the sun light of the winter day flood the room. "It's almost noon."

Hanabi growled and hid under the covers, wrapping her arms around her sister's waist underneath the heavy material.

Hinata didn't react, looking uneasily at them all. "Ready for what?"

She should have known not to ask.

Somehow amongst being shoved out of bed, into a shower, into clothing that felt much too stiff and into a separate sitting room in which her breakfast was, Hinata found little time to think of anything other than not choking on the soap, not snapping at the servant girl who chattered without stopping and not throwing her food out the window in a childish tantrum.

Before, while being a member of the family she had never been treated as such, but Hanabi stated with a soft sigh as she sat across from her in the sitting room to eat breakfast as well, she had not been heiress before, not officially, she had not been of age.

Seething in a manner that no one in the household had ever seen, she sat throughout the breakfast, touching nothing, wondering briefly when she would be allowed to leave only to find that the elders expected an audience with the new heiress as soon as she was finished eating.

Giving the plate of very tempting porridge and canned peaches a glare that might make them rot, said heiress stood slowly, ignoring the desperate desire to burst into tears and run out of the house towards Sasuke's own house, ignoring as well the servant girl's protests.

"Hime-sama! Demo, breakfast!"

"No." Hinata snapped, slamming the door closed, making the girl jump a foot in the air. Hanabi smirked, munching on her own toast silently, savoring the taste of actual food on her tongue after so many months of eating only odd liquid potions.

"…I'd be careful if I were you." the other princess commented, munching greedily. The servant girl only paled.

* * *

"Neji-sama." Hinata started, staring at her cousin, standing outside of the room, waiting patiently.

He stared at her, looking as if frozen and unable to think of what to do, which happened to be exactly the problem.

Shocking them both he hugged her, ignoring her body stiffening in his grasp. "N-neji-" Hinata started, blinking over his shoulder in surprise.

"Ne, are you all right?" he stated instead, ignoring their equally red cheeks as he pulled back to study her face, counting the scratch marks on her skin and bruises on her neck and exposed flesh with clever Hyuuga eyes.

"Fine." Hinata replied softly, lowering her eyes to the floor. "Nothing is broken, at least."

For a moment her cousin was silent, studying the downward curve of her lips.

"…how is your heart, Hime-sama?"

For a moment the girl was still, staring down at their shoes in the shadows of the hallway, wishing she could cry.

"I'm f-fine." She whispered, her stutter betraying the truth despite her best intentions to keep herself in check. Her shoulders shook slightly.

Letting out a sigh Neji pulled her in again, mind working rapidly. There had to be a way around the mess.

"We'll find a solution."

"H-hai." Hinata agreed, mentally disagreeing, smiling weakly at his attempt to get her to hope.

Silently her almost brother sighed and turned to look down the hall. "The elders want an audience with you." he muttered. "I'm your escort."

"I need an escort inside my own house?" Hinata frowned, following him down the hall. Neji smirked, glancing over his shoulder at her. "…I have a feeling they fear you will disappear."

Hinata smiled back weakly at him, finding within herself a cocky remark, listening almost as Sasuke's voice said it in her head.

"And they only sent you to stop me?"

Her cousin rolled his eyes, turning away again to lead her down the hall. "…definitely his girlfriend."

* * *

"Sasuke?!" Sakura's voice echoed down her hallway, making Ino and Naruto jump to their feet at the cry, running from the kitchen to the door.

Sasuke stepped into the med nin's house silently, nursing frostbitten fingers, bleeding fists and looking more pale than any of them had ever seen.

Naruto started, gaping at him for a moment before gasping out. "Teme! You look like shit!"

"Shut up, dobe."

"Help me get him to the kitchen." Sakura grunted, tugging one of his arms over her shoulder. The smell of blood clung to him, he had ripped open more than his wrists, his shins too were a bloody scabbed mess.

"What the hell were you doing all night?' Naruto snapped, throwing him down less than gently onto a kitchen chair. "Training? Dattebayo- what were you trying to do? Commit suicide?"

The awkward silence that followed made Ino pale rapidly. "A-a-ano… Sasuke-kun, shouldn't you be with-"

"Shut up. She's engaged."

The silence that followed _that _statement was a few thousand times worse than the first, making all of their eyes widen in awe.

"D-demo!" Sakura gasped, shoving herself to her feet. "She doesn't _want _to-!"

"What part of 'shut up' is hard for you people to understa-?"

Without warning Naruto's fist slammed into his face, cutting him off, making the already beaten man stumble off the chair and into a wall, eyes locating his opponent with ease. "Naruto, what the f-?"

"You're giving up on her already! What the hell!?" Naruto snapped back, shoving him back against the wall. His words were by far more damaging, making the Uchiha avenger stare, onyx eyes wide in his face.

"What if she's waiting for you to do something, you _idiot?_" Naruto continued, hands tight around Sasuke's shirt neck. "I'm betting she wouldn't have agreed to win the damned fight if you didn't tell her to." His eyes narrowed. "Am I right?"

_"…you need to win this." He breathed in, that scent of lavender and softness, the texture of her smooth skin against his fingers as he traced her neck gently, memorizing the sensation. _

_"…you need to concentrate on this. Win the fight, earn the title. We'll deal with the rest afterwards." _

_It amazed him that he sounded so steady and certain when his heartbeat was going at a million miles per second, and a soft voice inside his head was laughing nervously, knowing full well there was no way to deal with it afterwards. _

For a moment no one moved, letting the Avenger process what was happening. Slowly he closed his eyes, looking for half a moment like he might actually say something soft, maybe even thankful…

"Get your damned hands off me, dobe."

Smirking Naruto complied, shoving just a bit as a bonus as he let go. "Teme."

Sasuke smirked right back, wiping the blood from his lip silently, mind tripping over itself, working at a slow pace despite his genius.

_He's right, find a way- _

_ What fucking way? She's heiress! _

_ And what am I? The last Uchiha. More than just an heir… _

_Itachi wil- _

_ Itachi can go to hell… I love her. _

_ …I love her… _

Without another word he turned around, heading back out the door into the calm winter day outside, snow covered everything but there was no wind, and no snowfall.

"N-nani? Where are you going?! Sasuke- I have to treat those wounds!" Sakura gasped, stopping only when Naruto pulled her back, allowing Sasuke to slam the door closed as he left.

"Naruto!"

"Let him go." He smirked, nuzzling her neck, making her stop struggling instantly. "He's gone to get his girl, the guy deserves to look a little banged up."

"…I'm gonna end up looking banged up if that upsets Hinata." Sakura grumbled, sulking.

Ino gagged, moving towards the living room. "You all make me sick."

* * *

"You will be meeting your fiancé." The elder smiled, yellowing aged teeth pulled into a sneer of satisfaction. "He is a distant cousin of yours, I believe you've never met."

Hinata looked up at her, the stiff kimono she was wearing feeling more and more like it was tightening around her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She did not reply, frightened by the possibility that the monster from the night before would come up again to make the situation worse for her and Sasuke. She had been so easily irritated, so careless with her words, but then again she had had nothing to loose the night before…

Now… everything.

"You should be very pleased with the match, he's strong enough to support someone of such easily sparked temper as yours." One of the men in the room grunted, peeking at her through bushy eyebrows.

Hinata's lips pressed into a thin line of irritation.

_In other words his temper is worse than mine… he will try to crush me. _

However the idea didn't fit in her mind, she couldn't be engaged. She couldn't be engaged to someone else at least, it didn't make _sense. _And even if she was, it wasn't going to actually happen, she wasn't going to marry someone she had never met before… she wasn't going to let them touch her, kiss her… pretend to love her.

It was a good thing she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast, her stomach lurched, forcing her to close her eyes, calming her body slowly.

_Don't panic, don't panic… _

The elders continued to speak, sitting around in that huge empty room with a skylight that they seemed to like so much. It was that tactic, of sitting above others. She was sure it made them feel special.

"… he has already stated that he thinks you quite beautiful…"

"…was impressed with the many achievements mentioned from travelers…"

"….your battle with the Akatsuki shinobi…"

Heart pounding rapidly Hinata stood abruptly, hand to her mouth. "Pardon my rudeness, excuse me." She mumbled, turning around to leave, startling everyone in the room into silence, including her father who stood in the shadows, watching silently as his daughter held herself with more presence than she had in her entire life, even half sickened by the situation.

The moment the door closed after her the elder woman began to laugh, a loud cackling sound that forced the others to crane their necks in order to look at her.

"She's terrified out of her wits, but the clever little vixen refuses to show it." She wheezed between loud laughter. "I'm impressed. She's a good candidate. It's too bad that idiot Toki is the only cousin of hers far enough away for her to marry."

"Mixing blood with any other clan is not an option." The men grunted, eyeing the woman with vague distaste. Her power in the Elder's Council was undeniable, but not appreciated.

"Nonsense, the only trouble is the utter lack of good clans with which to mix. The Hyuuga Byakungan will begin loosing it's strength…" she muttered, rubbing at a temple silently, eyes closed, suddenly no longer amused. "It has reached it's peak."

"…just because the wielders can sometimes see past the present does not mean it has reached it's peak." One of the elders grunted softly, making the woman hiss at him to shut up, glancing sharply at Hiashi who looked back at her, stunned.

"Tongues wag heavy with delicious tidbits of information, isn't that so, Hiashi-sama." She sighed, leaning her chin on her hand, studying him.

"Get out of the shadows." She added. The man frowned at her, feeling more and more like he was being pushed roughly aside, the heiress, his daughter, becoming more and more the center of attention… and respect.

Silently he complied however, looking at them with masked interest.

"…I assume you're dying to know what is being spoken of." She smirked, looking sideways at the elder that had let the words slip. He looked down, frowning at his own aged boots.

Hiashi did not reply, stoic and silent as always.

"The Byakugan moves to see what is far beyond." The woman continued, looking out beyond him it seemed, as she spoke. "We are beings that can stretch our sight far and wide, while studying the last of the pure Byakugan line we've come to the realization that manifestations of the future have been found in several of the newer children, however… the stronger generation, that of Hinata's mother was the one to see it clearly. Your daughters see tidbits." She grunted. "You're too old for such a gift." She added.

Hiashi didn't reply, going over his own thoughts carefully, straining to understand each word said.

"…since when was this known?" he began, sounding irritable.

The elder shrugged. "A few years. We intend to ask the new heiress about it soon." She smirked.

A knock on the door made her turn towards it, masking her eagerness with boredom.

"Ah, and here she comes."

The door opened slowly and a servant poked his head into the room, blinking at them for half a second before bowing respectfully.

"My elders." He murmured, straightening after a moment. "Uchiha Sasuke is in the foyer, and has requested an audience… I knew not what to say…"

"Uchiha." The woman blinked, along with the rest of the elders. "How odd."

"He trained Hinata." Hiashi grunted, looking sideways from the room, irritated. "He's probably come back to gloat and ask for payment."

"Well deserved." One of the quieter elders muttered. 'From what I hear nothing done by anyone else managed to get that child of yours to hit her potential until now, not even you, Hiashi-sama." He grunted, turning to look at the not so young man with heavily lidded eyes. "It is his right."

Sighing the woman shrugged, waving her hand. "Allow him in then, I suppose."

The servant nodded, turning around to head back into the hall. A few moments later Sasuke stepped into the room. He had made a point to stop at home and change into something that wasn't bloodstained and ripped, his hands and wrists bandaged but invisible under the gloves and heavy jacket he wore, hands stuffed into the pockets of his long black coat.

He didn't bow, looking at them calmly instead, dark eyes studying each of them the same way they had all studied him the night before.

"Uchiha-san."

"Sama, actually." He corrected slowly, realizing suddenly that he was indeed the only Uchiha-sama left. He owned everything.

He owned as much as they all did… collectively.

If his pride needed boosting, that certainly did the trick.

The elders frowned at him, collectively as well, all busy elderly brows pulled together at once.

"Uchiha-_sama_." The elder allowed, nodding. "I did not realize you were of age."

"Last summer."

"That is a good time ago."

"Hn."

"What is it you want, Uchiha-sama?" one of the other elders snapped impatiently, tired of playing games. "Payment for your work on the new heiress? Out admittance that your deceased clan deserved some respect? Gratitude? A title?"

"Your heiress." Sasuke interrupted the list, blurting it out rather abruptly, making even Hiashi stare.

"As in…" the elder woman began slowly, staring at him, usually she would have been laughing but it was such a serious matter there was nothing to laugh about. "Marriage?"

"That would be correct."

"Demo!"

"Impossible, she is engaged!" another elder snapped, sitting up sharply in his chair. "We cannot give what has already been-"

"You owe me." Sasuke cut in, looking for all the world bored. "And there is no reason to refuse me, I am far higher ranked than any cousin she may have seeing as _she _is to be the highest ranked in 'your' clan." His eyes dared them to contradict. "It would be an even match."

"I never did like that idiot Toki." The elder woman admitted, taking a hidden liking to the young man before her despite all appearances.

"He's _Uchiha._" Hiashi stated sharply, turning to look at the elders. "No daughter of mine is going to-"

"You happily disowned her, Hiashi." The elder woman snapped irritably. "Leave this to us."

Startled by the sharp slap to his pride Hiashi stood there, fuming, unable to say a word.

Sasuke looked at him, making no effort to veil his satisfaction.

"There is a problem as to your criminal records." One of the younger elders muttered softly, voice smoothing over the whole problem like a poison.

"You've betrayed this village… Hyuuga Neji was nearly killed in an attempt to bring you back."

Sasuke flinched. "I have proved my faith to this village before now, my sins have been erased, though not forgotten."

"You have no one of stature to vouch for your new found loyalty." The elder continued smoothly. "We cannot allow our heiress to marry anyone despite their wealth, and rank if they're believed to be apt to treasonous acts…"

The Avenger looked back at him in silence, looking about ready to tear his throat out when the door flung open, slamming into the wall hard enough to dent it, though that was ignored as a flurry of blonde hair and high heels stormed into the room.

Tsunade came to stop beside Sasuke, slamming a hand on his shoulder roughly, but affectionately. Sasuke stared at her, wondering briefly from what hole she had crawled out of, but… knowing Sakura and the others they had had something to do with the Hokage's sudden appearance.

She looked more travel worn than usual, and a little out of breath. "What did I miss?"

"Tsunade-sama." The elder woman started, a bit pleased though the others looked about ready to vomit from the shock. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"I hear Uchiha-san is asking for someone's hand." Tsunade smiled back just as cheekily, patting Sasuke's shoulder, ignoring the fact that he looked about ready to chop her hand off.

"And seeing as he's almost like a son, I'd like to be here."

The words left her mouth in an almost choked manner. She wanted to laugh. Sasuke didn't blame her. Son? As son? Tsunade his mother?

He wanted to go die somewhere.

"A son, hm?" the elder woman smirked, glancing side ways at the other elder who was chewing on this new piece of information like it was something he had picked off the ground.

"We were discussing his… negative history." He began slowly, voice thin.

"You mean the thing with Orochimaru?" Tsunade muttered, letting out a sigh. "That _is _a problem. However, Sasuke returned of his own volition, despite the rumors you may hear. And, as if to top it all off, the only reason he went in the first place was to attempt to gain enough power to avenge his clan." She looked at them thoughtfully. "A deep love of family, wouldn't you say?"

The elder winced, looking over at Sasuke as if he were a new thing that needed reanalyzing. Sasuke glared back at him silently.

"…I see."

"In any case." Tsunade smiled, knowing she had the ace under her sleeve. "I'll vouch for him."

Sasuke, along with everyone else turned to look at her, stunned.

He had just won.

Only… now he had to ask a certain pale eyed princess a very very difficult question…

* * *

"W-what do you mean… he is unable to come?" Hinata enquired slowly, looking at the servant girl with what she hoped was a confused expression and not a relieved one. The servant girl shrugged. "The elders only said that Toki-sama, your fiancé was unable to come to the ceremony and that you were free for the rest of the evening until dinner… though if you're still feeling this sick perhaps dinner should be something lighter than what is being served…"

"No, no… I'll be fine." Hinata muttered, straightening up from having thrown up again. The servant nodded and stepped back, closing the door behind her quietly.

Almost relieved enough to cry the new heiress leaned over the sink, letting cold water pool there before dunking her head in, letting out a scream in the liquid.

She was free of Toki, whoever that was, for another day…Though, truth be told the day was nearly over. She had run away from the elder's council room already an hour ago, refusing to return. Surprisingly enough however, no one came to drag her back kicking and screaming like she expected.

Sighing softly she lifted her face out of the freezing water, letting the tendrils of liquid drip down the side of her face, numbing her sore flesh. Hanabi's blows were something to be praised, her face would be aching for several weeks…

However that was the least of her worries. Mind working steadily she turned around and buried her face into the soft folds of the towel hanging on the elegant rack by the wink. She had to find Sasuke, she had to reach him somehow, ask what was going on…

Ask why he had left.

Throat tightening at the thought she threw the towel down, turning to stare at herself in the mirror, startled by her mother's face rather than her own.

Her eyes were red rimmed from constantly straining not to cry throughout the day, she looked tired, and the bruises were no help. Biting her lip at her reflection she reached up, undoing the loose braid to let her hair fall like a curtain around her shoulders, the pale creamy kimono contrasting sharply with her ink black tresses.

"…Oka-san." She whispered softly, leaning her forehead against the mirror, staring down at the egg white sink with gold taps. "…what am I going to do?"

The hue of light changed as the sun began to set suddenly, making her start and turn to look in the direction of the window.

Sunset? Had she spent more time throwing up than she realized? It seemed like only a few hours ago she had gotten up and been forced to ready herself for the elder's audience…

A knock on the door made her jump, turning away from the sun hiding between distant hills. "Onee-chan! Are you okay? One of the servant girls said you were sick!" Hanabi's voice called through the door, the handle was tested carefully, her sister jiggling it impatiently on the other side. "Onee-chan?'

"I'm all right, Hanabi." Hinata sighed, rubbing her face tiredly and moving to open the door, stepping out into the hallway, lit by blocks of the sun's setting light flooding the opposite wall of windows that lined it. "I… just didn't feel very good for a few minutes."

"Hours." Hanabi contradicted. "It's late."

"Ne?" Hinata sighed, turning to look out the window again as if her eyes truly hadn't wanted to acknowledge the setting sun. "It's really that late?'

"You really are sick." Hanabi muttered, reaching up to put her hand on her sister's forehead, shaking her head. "No fever…"

"I said I was fine."

"Tch." Hanabi grunted, sounding more like herself by the second, and, to Hinata's surprise, a little bit like Neji. "You've said that before and been lying."

"Hey!"

"Are you hungry? Or do you want juice or something? How about orange juice? I hear that might help."

"Ano.." Hinata began, allowing the little one to drag her down the hall. "I'm all right."

"It doesn't hurt to eat something. You didn't touch your breakfast." Hanabi continued to grumble, dragging the elder Hyuuga down the hallways. "I'll get the servants working on dinner." She continued.

Together they entered the older living quarters of the Hyuuga family. Hinata looked around curiously at the halls. It looked as though nothing had changed, the same framed images of past wars were still up on the dark walls, the same sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen echoed, the smell of cooking food drifting out from the open door. Light poured from the room into the hallway.

"I'll tell them to make something." Hanabi muttered. "You go get some fresh air." She added, noting the vague ill look passing over her sister's face.

"Hanabi." Hinata began sullenly. "I'm _fine._"

_…I just need to desperately find Sasuke… _

The expression on Hanabi's face however made that thought scurry into the shadows, leaving Hinata to focus on the almost-pout that passed over her little sister's bruised face.

"…I know…" Hanabi mumbled after a moment. "Demo, this is the first time in a long time… that I can be helpful."

They stood in silence for a long moment, Hinata staring at her in surprise, the memories of feeling utterly useless passing by her mind's eye a thousand a second.

"I'll go out, oh, and I'm craving something sweet." She added calmly, as if Hanabi hadn't just admitted feeling childishly miserable.

The little princess looked up, watching as her elder sister stepped out into the porch, winking at her quickly before closing the door.

Happily she grinned, and then to head back into the kitchen to order her sister's food to be made.

* * *

As soon as the door closed Hinata sighed, letting her features drop, rubbing her forehead gently, the frown there almost hurting.

_Is this how Oka-san felt with me? Every moment a smile, a forced cheerfulness to keep me from knowing the misery she was enduring within the Hyuuga Household? _

Without making a conscious decision her fist shot out, slamming into the wall of the porch, the solid wood frozen over by the cold weather.

It wasn't snowing and the wind was dead and non existent but it was freezing, the very air cold and making her teeth chatter in her head. But it was the one moment she had endured on her own aside from vomiting for hours, and not wanting it to end she remained, leaning her forehead against the wall.

Darkness was coming, a blanket of dark navy and twinkling stars to eat away at the sun. But she paid it no attention. The simplicity of it was a haven she couldn't afford to retreat to. The mess she was in demanded her attention, if she didn't focus… where would she be?

Her eyes welled up with tears. _Probably sobbing on the floor, ne? _

Soft footsteps on the room made her freeze, each tread so quiet it was hardly there, cushioned by the inches of snow that covered the roof's surface.

_Nani...? _

Slowly she turned around, her hands sliding into her kimono, pulling out the lone kunai she had been able to grab before being shoved out the door towards the elders. Slowly she breathed "Byakugan." Eyes focused on the roof, feeling the thickening veins on either side of her face as her vision turned a dull green.

The moment she focused on his face he jumped down, landing on the railing, balanced… elegant. Puffs of white left his mouth in handfuls, and his cheeks were particularly red, from the cold, she assumed.

Her hand only tightened on the kunai a little more, lavender eyes staring at him, every thought and emotion and physical strain flashing through her features in a few moments of silence.

Sasuke let out another breath, ignoring the mist around his face, he stepped down, landing on the porch lightly. Throat tight he finally whispered. "Hinata-"

It almost felt like an involuntary movement. The feel of her hand connecting with his cheek and the sound of the slap that echoed felt surreal.

Equally stunned as the young man before her she gasped, staring at his burning cheek, his face turned away slightly, eyes closed as if praying for patience.

Then the tears started, a heavy merciless flow of relief and released frustration. Whimpering she studied his face as he turned to look at her, no more angry than before. Calmly he waited, watching as the drops slid down her cheeks almost crystallizing on her skin.

"Where did you _go_?" she gasped, grabbing onto his shirt, burying her face in the material, breathing him in so forcefully it was like a cocaine addict after a long withdrawal.

"Y-you left, I c-couldn't- I d-didn't k-know what to- Sasuke! You left! You-"

Roughly he pulled her back up, cutting her off sharply with a kiss that rendered her utterly mute, not even her mind could think of anything to say, silenced into trying to comprehend every single wave of emotion his lips were conveying, forcefully and gently all at once, confusing her mind so much she wouldn't have been able to say what was up and down.

Slowly he slid his kisses down her neck, wiping away at her tears with his fingers, listening to her soft but slowly calming whimpers.

"…I deserved that slap." He admitted, breathing into her ear gently, nuzzling the skin of her neck, dizzy with the lavender scent that always seemed to intoxicate him.

"I'm sorry."

The heiress only breathed in slowly, trying to calm herself, heart pounding almost so fast that it was hard to hear him despite him whispering so close to her ear.

"W-why did you l-leave?" she murmured, tracing the pattern of thread on his jacket collar, blinking her glittering lashes covered in her wet tears. "W-why did you-?"

Unable to find the answer the Uchiha Avenger cut in, startling her into silence. "I did something today."

Hinata looked up then, studying his face and the unreadable expression there. "S-something?" she reached up, wiping her wet cheeks gently, looking confused. "What do you mean?

His eyes shifted, looking towards the right at the last sliver of the setting sun, plunging the world into a darkness tinged by the orange light still escaping the dark mountain's grasp.

He swallowed, one hand sliding into his pocket, playing around with the ring inside. It was his mother's ring…

He didn't realize his hands were shaking as he turned to look back at her, cupping her cheek gently with his other hand, searching her gaze, ignoring the startled look there, the worry. She could see the hesitance and wariness, the fear. Something was happening and he was frightened… frightened.

Sasuke didn't know fear… he was never scared of anything.

"S-sasuke." She breathed, searching his face with more worry. "What's the matter? What is it?"

"…ano…" the Uchiha began, making her blink in surprise, having never heard that odd sound come from his lips.

He looked down at his hand where the ring was clasped. "…I…have something to ask you."

His only worry was her answer. She had every reason to reject him, his brother, his family, his manners or lack thereof, the danger she would be put in as his fiancé… the things he had done once, a long time ago…

But he needed her so much, the idea of her not being there always didn't even make sense, like trying to grasp the reality of eternity.

"Sasuke…" Hinata whispered slowly, looking pale. "You're scaring me…"

"No, that's not what I- it's nothing like that…" he began, looking up and meeting her lavender eyed gaze, stunned into silence by the expression there and the sheer attentiveness, care…

Love.

"…I need to ask you if you'll spend the rest of your life with me…" he reached up, taking her hand, sliding the ring from his fingers to hers, watching her eyes start to widen, looking down at the small piece of jewelry that symbolized so much.

"…the rest of…" she began slowly, unmoving, the ring sparkling as the last rays of sunlight splashed into the small diamond at it's center of carefully designed gold twined into vines and roses to wrap around the stone.

Sasuke smiled slowly, watching her mind slowly try to grasp the meaning, mouth opening into shock, looking up at him sharply.

He leaned in, kissing her cheek before breathing into her ear. "Will you marry me?"

A thousand thoughts, a thousand feelings, memories of how scared she used to be of him, how his presence was something to try to escape, something to run from, a nightmare, how he stood in the shadows of Sakura and Naruto, how his cold eyes had stared at her, summing her up in one glance and how slowly but surely as she strained to meet his expectations that stare had turned into one of surprise…awe…respect…and then-

"I love you." the words slipped out of her mouth as she thought it, kissing him before he could say anything else, unaware of more tears pouring down her face, but they were so calming it was ridiculous, in his arms she could fall into a sleep that no one would be able to wake her from.

Except for his lips on her skin.

Gasping and trying not to sob or laugh all at once she pulled back, watching as he smiled at her, not a smirk, nor an arrogant smile, but an honest one, almost a grin.

"I'll take that as a yes-"

"Shut up." She mumbled, kissing him again, neither of them noted Hanabi peeking in from the doorway, her eyes so wide on her face they were in danger of consuming it completely.

Smiling a very wicked smile she closed the door, letting them have their moment. She'd interrogate her sister about it later.

* * *

"Let me LOOK at it, Ino-pig!" Sakura screamed, using for the first time in a long time the childish name she had thrown out in a temper as a five year old against her best friend. The blonde growled, holding Hinata's hand in her own like it was a possession, glaring over at the pink haired nin with an evil glint in her eye. "Back off! I'm not done yet!"

Hinata almost fell out of her chair at the café, scrambling to regain her balance as she grabbed onto the table. "A-ano…Ino-chan, Sakura-chan…"

"You've been holding her hand for about an hour, let _go_!" Sakura cried again, ignoring the all too knowing looks that all the waiters and the café owners exchanged.

Another episode in the life of the three kunoichi… in surround sound.

"Ano…" Hinata began again, lurching to grab onto the table as the two ninja took hold of her hand, pulling. "I just want to _see_ it!" Sakura growled, glaring at Ino who was hunched over Hinata's hand like a hungry wolf. "No!"

A silky smooth voice they had heard only a few times in their lives suddenly slipped through their growls to reach their ears.

"Either remove your hands from my own or loose some very essential fingers." Hinata murmured, a cloud of dangerous chakra rolling over her.

"Eep!" Sakura and Ino meeped, letting go of Hinata's hand like it was a hot coal. "Gomen!"

"Hn!" Hinata grunted, rotating her wrist to loosen the tensed muscles slowly.

"It's beautiful though… Hinata." Sakura grinned after the cloud of angry chakra began to vanish and Hinata's usual half smile returned, along with what seemed to be a constant flush of her cheeks. It probably would take a few months for it to go away, she hadn't stopped blushing since the proposal.

"It was his mothers." She pointed out slowly, studying the ring on her slightly bruised hand from all the tugging. She smiled at it as it caught the light, turning to look at her friends who were grinning at her knowingly.

"Aw, just look at her." Sakura crooned, reaching over and pinching her cheek.

"She in loooove." Ino agreed, resting her head on her cheek, looking dreamy. "And alas the happily ever after is in fact real."

"Tch." Hinata almost laughed, rolling her eyes to the heavens. "Right."

"You're damned close." Sakura grunted, giving her a look. "You're a princess by the village standards."

"He's a prince." Ino pointed out. "A very rich, very mysterious, very attractive prince."

"Hey!" Hinata grumbled, giving her a look.

"And, he came to your rescue!" Sakura added, smirking. "All he's lacking is a white stallion."

Hinata smiled, leaning back in her chair, trying not to laugh at the idea of Sasuke on a white stallion. It didn't look half bad.

"That can be arranged." The other two burst out laughing, almost on the floor from their hysteria.

"Is it impossible to be less than obnoxiously loud?" A new voice muttered, appearing behind Hinata's chair, hands sliding through her hair, making her turn to look up at him, smiling in content. "Hi."

"Mm." he replied, pressing a very innocent looking kiss on her lips.

"Aww…" Ino and Sakura chorused.

"Is this what you've been putting up with all day?' Sasuke muttered, pulling back to look at his fiancé's face. Hinata smiled, a bit sarcastically. "No comment."

"Hey!" Sakura cried indignantly.

"I think we'd better go, Hanabi-sama has been…insistent about being on time for the dinner she prepared." He muttered, the hesitance in the middle of the sentence making Hinata turn to look up at him, smirking in a way that reminded him in a strange way of himself.

"She's been nagging."

"Without stopping to breathe."

Laughing Hinata shoved herself up to her feet. "Okay, let's go." She murmured, ignoring Sakura and Ino bickering about something or other.

"Bye!" she called. The two girls stopped arguing long enough to wave a goodbye and flash them twin knowing looks before turning back to their previous almost violent conversation.

"I'm surprised she's not terrified of you." Hinata admitted as they walked away, fingers twining with his as they walked. "Hanabi-chan, I mean."

"Why would she be terrified?" Sasuke retorted, glancing over at her with a quirked brow. She replied with a mirror expression. "Aside from your concentrated efforts on being terrifying?"

"Hn." He replied, smirking. "She's tough."

Feeling more giddy than usual Hinata's loosed tongue allowed one last comment before entering the Hyuuga Estate. "Or senile…"

"Tch." The avenger chuckled. Dinner time would be interesting…

* * *

Several hours, and some forced eating later the two were sitting on the Hyuuga's porch, it so happened to be the same place that he had proposed, curled into each other to keep the cold from numbing their fingers.

"I think you need to give your sister some cooking lessons." Sasuke admitted, rolling his eyes. "It's like she's never before held a frying pan."

"Well she hasn't." Hinata replied, leaning her head back on his shoulder, fiddling with his fingers as she stared up at the dark night sky. "She held a kunai before she ever even looked at a pan."

"And you?"

"I can't remember." She admitted, turning her head slightly to look at him, studying her fingers as they fiddled with his, entranced by the slender movement of the carefully sculpted hands.

For a moment they were quiet, listening to Neji and Hanabi's voices arguing hotly about something, Tenten's voice coming in once in a while in an attempt to soothe the two hotheads. After the engagement the elders had left, signing papers without even looking at them. Hinata knew well that they weren't gone for sure, some of them had given her glances that stated something near loathing, others had been irritated by the power she now held.

Only one of them smirked at her, something like veiled respect marring her elderly features. It was that old hag that both Sasuke and herself had decided needed help with dying upon meeting her.

_Never judge a book by it's cover… _Hinata admitted to herself, closing her eyes, listening to his heartbeat as it drummed, a steady comforting rhythm.

_Thump…thump…thump…thump…_

_Flashing images, a heartbeat speeding up slowly, like wing beats as a predator began to close in on prey, darkness, the smell of metal or blood. Flashes of black flowers with red pollen that blew in a breeze so hot it felt like the breath of dragon across her flesh. _

_The flickering field of black blossoms and long grass waved, the sky wasn't black anymore, however. _

_It was red. _

_Her own eyes stared at her, burning with the intensity of desperation. _

_"Let me out!!" _

"Did you hear that?" Sasuke's voice whispered softly, forcing her to open her eyes, startled out of the images. He was sitting up, alert, listening.

Hinata didn't respond, lifting a hand to her face, finding sweat on her brow. She stared at her fingers, oily with it, confused. It had taken three seconds, but the images had been so real, the sensations so strong, the scent of the blood-like pollen still filled her nose.

"Nani?" she breathed, sliding off of his lap to land almost silently on the porch ground. He followed her example, looking around, only the light from inside of the house shed it's way into the porch, as a result there was little to be seen, darkness closed in from all sides.

_"…darkness comes…" _

She turned to look at Sasuke, body beginning to tighten like a bowstring, every tendon knotted.

"S-sasuke…" she began, looking around, ears straining. "…something-"

"Ssh." He hissed softly, one hand lifting to cover her mouth gently, sharingan rotating slowly as he turned. The hair on the back of his neck had risen, and though he couldn't see them or hear them, he knew something was out there…

Perhaps he couldn't hear them because of the loud banging of his heartbeat in his ears.

Hinata's hands slipped into her shirt, pulling out a handful of shuriken, reflecting the light of the moon for a moment.

It was just a second, an intake of breath, a shattered stillness. They were soundless.

An arm flung around her neck, thick material covering her mouth. She gasped, a scream locked in her throat as the arm tightened. Scrambling she kicked and squirmed, her body throwing out every defensive maneuver ever learned, listening to the sound of struggle beside her, shuriken on shuriken, and silence.

It was made so much more maddening by the silence.

_Sasuke! _

More hands, more darkness, fingers pressing into delicate places on her skin, sending numbing sensations across her limbs. She was gasping, straining to breath, the sound of her own struggle making her heart beat faster, panic so frantic that it over powered her discipline taking over.

She heard first the sound of Sasuke's voice, a gasp. There were too many, too fast.

_This can't be happening. _

The darkness was so huge, it was consuming, she needed it to vanish she needed it to-

_Go away!! _

Her byakugan sparked to life, devouring the shadows and only casting more. There were bodies, shinobi in black clothing she didn't recognize and no headband to detail them with information. Seven of them.

And then there was the thing standing behind them on the railing.

Sasuke was pressed against it, the thing was wearing a cloak, thick and billowing in the cold winter breeze, masked, only eyes could be seen through a slit of cloth.

There was thick skeletal tail escaping the cloak, holding Sasuke roughly by the neck… and there was blood.

It spilled down his side, drenching the ground.

Her elbow connected with something sensitive of her attacker and the arm loosened for a second, a shriek escaping her.

"Sasuke!"

His eyes locked on hers, chakra rolling out of him in steady waves. Steps in the distance, it was happening so fast. Neji, Tenten, Hanabi, Oka-san SOMEONE…

"Enough of this, let's go, I do not like to keep others waiting." The creature behind him grunted.

A blow worse than a sword through her body was the torture that would haunt her for months, the tail jabbing into Sasuke's neck… his skin, _her _skin, she had claimed it with her lips, kissed it into her possession, made it her own.

Nightmares are made of images like that.

_"NO!" _

The arms around her body tightened, she was thrown backwards as they jumped, dragging her along, she felt her world vanish under her feet, but she couldn't think, couldn't function. Sasuke's body crumbled onto the porch floor, blood spilling, he was shivering, straining to get up. The monster behind him whipped his tail and flickered from sight.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!!"

The ground gave way again, the air whipping her hair in her way, she strained against the arms, reaching towards him as he got further away, further… space, time, life was in the way, the darkness, the utter cold.

"Sasuke!"

It was eating her, devouring her alive, the arms were teeth, she was vanishing and Sasuke was bleeding and she… she couldn't… she couldn't even…

* * *

Vision blurring, his body couldn't move, he could hardly function, his heart was slowing, blood rising up to his mouth, but he was moving, he was _going _to move he was going to….

"Hinata-" he gasped, watching… only watching as she fell… she was falling, into darkness, into nothingness, screaming, reaching towards him and he couldn't do anything, nothing.

The burning feeling of the poison spreading, or the kunai still in his side didn't hurt as badly as the image of her eyes, tears pouring so that they looked like liquid steel.

Right before she vanished in a flurry of red clouds on black cloak…

The feeling of having your heart ripped out, is something not easily forgotten…

He didn't feel when hands were picking him up, didn't hear when familiar voices were screaming for answers, didn't see the darkness eating his vision as his world vanished before him.

Only one thought was resonating within his mind.

_I will bring you back, I will…_

_I will become… _

Stronger.

* * *

**O.M.G**

**It is done. **

**Well, if the ending wasn't simply CLICHÉ I don't know what cliché is, lol, but I enjoyed it immensely. **

**Love me, review for me, and wait impatiently for the sequel of course. **

**Read. Review. **

**-INK **


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